When a lawyer stands in a courtroom he is representing his client.
When a politician stands in the capitol building he is representing the people in his district.
When a president stands in his presidential office he is representing his country and its citizens.
When a born again, blood bought, redeemed child of the Most High God stands anywhere he is representing his Savior.
A lawyer can pick and choose which client he will represent.
A politician can pick and choose which side of a bill he will support.
A president can pick and choose which bill he will sign into law.
If we profess to be a child of God we have already had our chance to pick and choose who we stand with.
If you are standing in a line, say at the grocery store, and it seems like that line has not moved in 10 minutes, how do you behave?
Do you stomp your feet and huff and puff like a spoiled child? Or do you use that time to quietly pray for the people around you?
Who are you representing in that line?
Everywhere we go we are a representation of Christ.
February can be known as the month of love. Valentine’s Day is a big day for people to say that they love each other. But my question is this … are we just saying we love people or are we actually showing the love of God to others?
Look at our Savior in John 4:1-14 when even though he was weary from his journey and could have went and rested in the shade under a tree he put love into action and offered to a samaritan woman the life giving water.
Our savior put love in action many times in the living word. I often tell people in our church that since we are joint-heirs with Jesus and God is our father that makes Jesus our big brother. How many of us have older siblings that we wanted to be like while we were growing up? I did! I have wonderful older siblings and still try to learn from them to this day.
While we are out shopping, running errands and taking care of life are we acting like our big brother? Are we showing Jesus to the world? Are we putting love into action?
There are many examples of putting love into action in the Bible, but what about present day people? Martin Luther King Jr. put love into action. He spoke up for the rights of the oppressed. Mother Theresa put love into action spending the majority of her life in leper colonies where people were discarded and left waiting to die. What about Corrie Ten Boom and her family that hid Jews and then were thrown into prison camps themselves yet still telling about the love of Jesus.
Love is an action. It is not just a noun. It is not a thing. It is something that we are supposed to be living and experiencing every day. It is something that we are supposed to be sowing into the lives of others every moment that we are here.
Do you love your spouse? Do you love your children? Do you love your parents? Do you love your co-workers? Do you love the stranger on the street?
How are you representing your big brother in the world? Do people see the fruit of Holy Spirit in you? Do they see love, peace and joy or do they cringe with trepidation when they see you knowing that all your going to do is gripe and complain about something?
Can you be happy for your co-worker that gets the promotion you wanted? Can you be happy for the friend that is expecting a baby while that is what you have been believing and praying for for years? Can you show love to the friend that has rejected you or stabbed you in the back? Can you represent Jesus?
I ask these questions of myself as well. When I have had false accusations thrown my way and people walk out of my life, can I still love them? I answer my question with a question… does God still love them? Of course He does. So then how could I not love them?
I have learned from the pastors’ that I have sat under and listened to the past 30 years that you cannot hold a grudge, you cannot hold tight to an offense, you have to forgive and love like Jesus.
He was, is and always will be the supreme example of love in action. Read the Word of God again. When you read the words about the stripes being laid out on the back of an innocent man picture what his back looked like. Those were stripes of love. When you read that thorns were stuck in his head, picture the 2 inch long thorns from a honey locust tree being stuck down in his head and the blood pouring out for your sins. When you read about his beard being plucked out, imagine the pain that it caused his love filled face. When you read of the nails (5 inch spikes) being driven into his hands and feet, picture and imagine the pain he felt every time that hammer landed on that nail. If that is not the supreme act of love in action I cannot not imagine what else is.
Put life into the word as you read it. Let it come alive in you so that your heart desires to represent Jesus by putting the same action into love that He did.
Don’t just speak the words act the words. Represent your big brother to the best of your ability. If you don’t know how just ask him to show you, to lead and guide you into the actions He would have you take day by day. There is always someone who needs a little love added to their life.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
