I don't want to be remembered as a sourpuss who was always frowning. I want people to see me and say, She's a happy, loveable person. I want people to know the love of Christ after I leave their presence.
See, we as Christians need to give off the love of Christ. If it's in us, we need to show it. I know that we have bad days, and it's certainly easy to walk around with a frown on our faces or tears in our eyes. We get angry and sometimes say the wrong thing, but is that how we want people to remember us?
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:11, 12
God wants us to love one another, and since He lives in us, the Bible says that His love is perfected in us. That means that God's love is perfect, and that perfect love is what dwells inside of us. So, how can we not cast off love when perfect love dwells within us?
I'm not saying that it's not alright to have a bad day. It is, but how can things be so bad when we have the love of Christ working within us?
This is the love of Christ. It's a love that we cannot even fathom. God sacrificed His only Son, so that we may live. What are we sacrificing for God? Surely sacrificing a bad day for God isn't quite the same as Him giving us His Son?
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
What if the person you just gave the finger to who made you angry in traffic needed to see that kind of love today? What if they were in a hurry to get to a sick loved one who needed them? Needed Christ?
What if that person who bumped into you accidentally in the grocery store was looking for that perfect love and all you did was talk ugly to them?
What if the woman sitting alone in a cafe wondered if anyone cared about her and all you did was snub her when she smiled at you?
Think about that for a moment. I'm guilty of being ugly in the grocery store when it's crowded and all I want is to get home after someone tried to run me over with a grocery cart, but what if that person needed to see the perfect love of God in me, and I was too stubborn, too human, to give them that kind of reassurance.
Today, I urge you to be nice; let your shadow cast perfect love today. Don't leave people with a terrible impression of who you are. They need to see God in you. Not the human side. They see enough of that in this world as it is.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not [love], I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 1Corinthians 13:1
This is so beautiful Emerald and I so needed this today. It has been one hectic week and I agree as you said " Don't leave people with a terrible impression of who you are" I see that sadly in other when they let other unimportant things get in their way. You also mentioned " To be nice" and that is how I try to live. No matter how my day goes I strive for it! I loved how you mentioned John and Corinthians. Amen! This was so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Syl. I think we all need to be reminded of this from time to time, and I'm preaching to the choir as we say. :)
DeleteWe tend to forget that people need to see Christ through us, especially if they don't know Him.
I strive to be nice as well, Syl, and even though I only know you through the internet, you're always nice. :)
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