One Sunday after worship, a pastor found a small, stuffed animal in one of the pews. It was tattered and very dirty. His first impulse was to throw it away. Then he realized the fact it had been brought along to church indicating it was loved by some child.
Often we look at someone who is worn or diseased, tattered and torn by life, and our first reaction is to turn away. The way we react to them says in effect, “You are worthless.” Yet, if we allow the love of God to control us, we cannot reject any person, regardless of their condition.
Everyone, no matter what their inner or outer condition, is loved by God. Jesus taught us this when He said, “Anyone who comes to me, I will never drive away.”
Think about the lesson of the loved stuffed animal today when you come upon someone unlovely.
Dr. Martin MacIntyre, a dentist from Potomac, Maryland, refused to allow his daughter Sarah to go to the pool for the third time in one day…He just said no and that was that.
So that evening Sarah – age 6 – wrote a note in red pencil and left it on her daddy’s pillow.
It said: Daddy – I hate you.
And it was signed, Love – Sarah.
Can you use those two terms (Love and Hate) in the same sentence?
Tags: Christian love, hate
Someone once wrote a critical letter to newspaper columnist Abigail Van Buren that went “Dear Abby,
“We have neighbors who have two children in high school and one in college, but the parents act like a couple of teenagers. When the husband comes home from work, the wife runs out to the street to meet him, and he carries her into the house piggyback! If the husband is repairing the roof, she is right up there with him. If he’s under their car, she’s there, too. When they sit in church, they hold hands and read out of the same book when hers is right beside her, closed. What do you think of people like them? – St. Petersburg, Fla.”
Abby replied, “Dear St. Petersburg, “I think your neighbors know the secret of real happiness. God bless them.”
Do you agree or disagree? Why?
In a Peanuts cartoon Linus announced to his cranky sister, Lucy, that he’s going to be a doctor. “You, a doctor?” she asked. “How can you be a doctor? You don’t love mankind.” Linus replied, “I do too love mankind. It’s people I can’t stand.”
Paul gave us a description of Christian love in 1 Corinthians 13. He listed 15 specific actions that can be taken only toward individuals. Love must be specific and it is a verb (action word).
My favorite demonstration of this is found in the 1989 movie ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ Cranky Miss Daisy was embarrassed that she hadto have a driver haul her around and treated him as an insult. Yet Hoke, the driver, faithfully served her and put up with her crankiness. And, in time, the relationship grew. That was a wonderful lesson in humble servant-hood and demonstrated love.
An elderly man lay in a hospital, with his wife of 55 years sitting at his bedside. “Is that you, Ethel, at my side again?” he whispered.
“Yes, dear,” she answered.
He softly said to her, “Remember years ago when I was in the Veteran’s Hospital? You were with me then. You were with me when we lost everything in a fire. And Ethel, when we were poor – you stuck with me then, too.” The man sihed and said, “I tell you, Ethel, you are bad luck!”
This humorous story helps us to see how easy people like us can twist love into something it really isn’t. Let’s recognize the love of Christ for what it is.
Another strategy for getting a fresh start in life is to Change Your Priorities. We all set priorities for ourselves. And most of us have real life experiences that cause us to change our priorities along the way. What priorities have you changed along the way? What moved you to make those changes? What else would you add to the message this weekend?
Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment…love one another” (John 13:34).
This “new commandment” Jesus gave is truly amazing when you consider its historical background:
First, there was the Law of Revenge. Before Moses, the law of the land was the law of the jungle. It said, “If you hurt me I’ll hurt you – and then some!” Enemies actively sought ways to settle old scores because revenge wasn’t just acceptable – it was encouraged.
Next, there was the Law of Retribution. In Moses’ time revenge was replaced with retribution which allowed, “An eye for eye, and a tooth for tooth,” but no more (Ex. 20:25). You could do to your enemies only what they’d done to you. That was progress!
Now, there’s the Law of Love. When Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment…love one another,” it was a radically different approach. It meant you didn’t have to get even, you could choose to forgive instead. This new commandment demonstrates the unconditional, sacrificial love God shows to us – then calls us to live the same way!