Here’s a thought. “Love”, in the Bible is really overrated.
Plenty of Christians talk about how Jesus loves you. Bumper stickers and sermons abound based on that saying. But I don’t recall Jesus saying “I love you” much . In fact, not until late in the story does he give a new commandment to “love one another as I have loved you”. What he does say repeatedly though, is “I am with you”; his ministry was a lifelong example of how to be with others.
“With” is the most important four letter word in the Bible.
Much of what Christ taught was a new paradigm about taking care of one another. “When did we feed or house you Lord? When you fed the poor, when you housed the homeless.” For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:28.
Christians often hide behind the notion that “Jesus loves you” because of how it makes us feel. OK, Jesus loved everybody, I will too, end of duty. What Jesus really does is give you a road map of how to act.(he doesn’t talk much about your feelings) Saying you love your neighbor is nothing without the active, overt efforts to fill the needs of your neighbor.
Love may be the consequence of your effort, but being with the disadvantaged is the real goal. Christ didn’t walk around saying I love you. He walked around being with others by taking care of them: feeding the multitudes, healing the sick, etc.
In the bacon and eggs of Christianity, words are the eggs, actions are the bacon(the chicken is involved, the pig is committed.) Lets not let our words substitute for our actions.
It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
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I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....
Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019
Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
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