People part 1
The last Rant series was about catching flies with honey. Showing a more excellent way so that people will run TO God instead of running FROM Him. But I thnk all too often we lose sight of the human element. This idea has been heavy on my heart for a while, and I'm sure it's shown up recently in my writing, but I want to kind of pinpoint on it if I can. Because there are a lot of "issues" out there. And I'm sure you've heard the correct way to deal with "issues." "Got an issue? Here's a tissue!" Just kidding. But for real. We get so worked up over issues that we forget that most of the time there are PEOPLE behind those issues. And as far as I'm concered there are only two important things in the universe: God and people. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. It's like we forget--when we get all up in arms about something--that there are hurting people involved. Because if there weren't, it really wouldn't be an issue, would it? And that's probably why most people don't really know where I stand most of the time. Because instead of TAKING a stand I'm usually too busy trying to make sure the people involved are ok. Compassion, right? That's why Jesus did everything He did: He was moved by compassion and motivated by love. In fact, it seems to me that the only "issue" Jesus spoke out against was... wait for it... religion! Look at Colossians 1:20, "And, having made peace through the blood of the cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." Jesus made it simple. Man makes it complicated. Man puts up walls. Jesus built a bridge. He reconciled ALL THINGS to Himself. Not some things, not a few things, not most things. All things. He literally remade the world in His image. It was the Messianic rebirth of the world. The consuming fire consumed everything except itself, and left nothing BUT Himself. Nothing but love. That's what we do, and that's who we are. Because that's what HE does, and that's who HE is. And He lives in us. He lives in us, and through us, and as us. As He is, so are we in this world. Because of the cross. Because He made peace through His blood. Because He reconciled all things unto Himself. Because He gave us His Spirit--the love receptor--so that we might know and believe the love of Christ for us, and so that we might love each other with that same love. That's the New Commandment, right? And it's interesting to me that when Jesus was explaining the Old Covenant He said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God. But then He gave a New Commandment that says love each other. See the shift? And, again, loving each other IS loving God. But I think it's an important distinction. Because when we trample people (for any reason, but specifically "in service to God") we've missed the point. Missed the boat--or the Ark, as it were. Why do you think there's no condemnation in Christ? Because we're all different parts of His body. Condemning somebody else is really condemning yourself. Making someone else feel, or look, smaller doesn't make you look bigger. It makes you look like a bully. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). It's not about issues. It's about people. It's about... love!