“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.”
1 John 4:7, 9-13 NIV
Wow! What a passage. It’s like the synopsis on Christian Living 101. We believers carry quite a torch in this dark world.
It reminds me of the 30-second rule - have you heard of it? Simply stated, when interacting with a stranger, it should take them about 30 seconds to surmise that you are a follower of Christ.
No profession of faith, no sermon, no Jesus tee shirt.
They will know it because of your love.
I should clarify that I am not perfect at this rule, but maturity in the Lord has helped. It’s an exercise in faith, really. The Spirit and Presence of the Lord was mostly represented by a flame in the Bible….. just how “on fire” would you consider yourself to be?
Just like someone wearing a ball cap with their favorite football team, or donning a purse of a certain brand, we “wear what we believe” almost all of the time! When a Christian walks away from the grocery checkout or the dentist chair, it should feel different.
The interaction- genuine. The conversation- pleasant. Why? Christ’s love is present, because “He has given us of His Spirit.”
I have learned from a few mentors along the way……
First, a former pastor of ours used to say that our reactions tell the world a lot about us. He would say, “Slow traffic, long lines, & lost luggage should not unravel us”. Isn’t that profound? Daily inconveniences shouldn’t make the worst automatically seep out! For when the world sees how easily or how often rage makes it to the surface, it also sees how shallow our faith truly is. An umpire’s bad call or a whiny toddler from the next table over shouldn’t collapse our testimony in Christ. The love of Christ should outshine our feelings every single time. He is our standard of living, and with His help, His way can become our lifestyle.
Second, a college roommate of mine used to make it her aim to create a smile on the cafeteria cashier’s face daily. She was all of 18 years old, throwing love and humor out there just because she could. I hope that could describe us all in our interactions daily. No schmoozing or inappropriate jokes- just the joy of the Lord lighting up a moment.
And if the love of Jesus is in our hearts, it should always be on our minds and on our lips. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) This love should be life-changing for us and life-changing for those we interact with!
I hope the scripture above rekindled your torch as you read it today. It did mine. May you usher God’s love wherever you go. 💕
Photo by Eduardo Soares on Unsplash
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