The Sacrifice of Love

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

-John Wooden (Basketball Coach)

I sometimes examine and question my own abilities and directions in this life. It is something as human beings we tend to do periodically, sometimes a little too often. Take my gifts, for example. I know I can play the bass guitar really well and solid. I know my intellect and wit is sometimes overbearing but really strong. I know I can grasp the "big picture" usually before anyone else can arrive at the same conclusion. But in all honesty, what are these gifts if I can't use them to pay back the One who ultimately used His gift of love for me?

It says in 1 John 4:13 that "we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His spirit." (NKJ) This verse, as well as the entire fourth chapter of 1 John, reminds me of the gift that Jesus sought to instill in others, and that was the gift of love. Imagine if you will being one of the few disciples that got the opportunity to sit with Jesus and learn from Him. Now just imagine that during the first meeting, instead of hearing Jesus say, "Love only those in this room as I have loved you," He says, "I want you all to love everyone in your path, both believers and non-believers alike, as I and my Father in heaven has loved you." That is definitely an "easier said than done" statement, to say the least, but it is a statement many people who "follow Him" fail to grasp or execute, myself included.

In all honesty, when was the last time you prayed for someone who has hurt you in the past? I'm talking about the one person, albeit a former relationship (boy/girlfriend, husband/wife, best friend, etc.), who really knew how to wound you beyond all physical measure. If you did pray for that person, did you pray that God would love them and continue to love them? What about yourself? Did you ask God to forgive them for what they have committed against you and to allow you to love them like God has loved them? That is definitely something a good majority of us fail to do. Most of us in that majority feel that because of what this person or group of people have done, they don't deserve or need the love of God in their lives. That, my friends, is really far from the truth as I know it.

I believe that these people need the real love of God even more in their lives. I also believe that it sometimes takes a person like yourself to reach out to these people, regardless what your past may have consisted of. No, I'm not saying go drive a thousand miles in the direction of this person and confront them, but I am saying that you can start by praying for them and giving this hurt, this wound directly to God to heal, comfort, and restore. Once you learn to forgive them yourself, you can then truly have a better understanding of this gift of love that Jesus set out to give everyone.

Too many people, Christian and none, live not of love but of disgust, judgement, loathing, envy, greed, resentment, and hatred, to name only a few human emotions. As you go on about your day, regardless of what you believe, try and focus on what your gifts truly are and how you can love people with them, even if these gifts seem mundane or small. Trust me when I say that God uses these gifts beyond what you can imagine if you are willing to sacrifice yourself for just a second.

A New Hope

"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

-John 11:25-26

I have found that as I peruse the news headlines of the last couple of weeks, I get an overwhelming sense of panic, disarray, and confusion. For instance, the proclaimed "King of Pop" Michael Jackson dies suddenly, and the whole world panics and figuratively "shuts down" itself to mourn his passing. Yet thousands upon thousands die of starvation, disease, and other means worldwide, and yet we shed no tear or shut ourselves down to remember and mourn for them. What is wrong with that picture?

It would seem that although death has been a hot topic in the news as late, it is a bigger topic locally. Everywhere I go, even at the office I work at, the topic of death seems to be on the tips of everyone's lips. And what is it about death that these people talk about? The uncertainty of things to come. The question of who, celebrity or local, is going to die next. All this talk... and not one conversation I hear sounds hopeful or encouraging.

God placed the role of death as a means to signify our passing into a new life. Death may be a byproduct of the first act of sin told in Genesis 3, but it doesn't mean we have to fear it like so many of our peers tend to do. We have an awesome hope to believe in - the hope that Jesus has given us a life beyond Death's reach!

I can never seem to understand the implications of the above verse at times like this, but I do understand a few truths in this. Jesus talks about physical death as though it is just another phase in life that no one needs to fear or be uncertain about, and that in itself is encouraging to me. Instead of all this talk about death and how horrible it is, we should be talking about how wonderful it will be to see Jesus's promise fulfilled and to live without ever truly dying. That will definitely turn some heads and get people talking, right?