The Lion and the Lamb!
There are things about our Christian life that can be unique to the individual; but there are some things that are uniform commands:
We can be sure that we’ve truly come to live in intimacy with God, 6 not just by saying, "I am intimate with God," but by walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
7 Beloved, I’m not writing a new commandment to you, but an old one that you had from the beginning, and you’ve already heard it. 8 Yet, in a sense, it is a new commandment, as its truth is made manifest both in Christ and in you, because the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already blazing.
9 Anyone who says, "I am in the light," while holding hatred in his heart toward a fellow he believer is still in the darkness. 10 But the one who truly loves a fellow believer lives in the light, and there is nothing in him that will cause someone else to stumble. 11 But whoever hates a fellow believer lives in the darkness—stumbling around in the dark with no clue where he is going, for he is blinded by the darkness. 1 John 2:6-11 (TPT)
In this passage of scripture the Apostle John likens our love walk to either walking in the light, or walking in darkness. If we are walking in the light, we love our brother – it’s that simple. If we hate our brother, we are walking in darkness, stumbling around as a blind person not realizing where we are going. The sixth verse lets us know that we are to walk as Jesus walked. However, this command preceded Jesus’ earthly ministry. This commandment to love was not something new, it had always been a requirement of God. Just as light puts out darkness, so love erases hate. It is more contagious than any flu epidemic, for there is power in love.
Jesus before His crucifixion instructed His disciples on some very important things, among them was how to walk a "love" walk:
12 "So this is my command: Love each other deeply, as much as I have loved you] 13 For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all. And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends. John 15:12-13 (TPT)
Preceding these verses Jesus talked to His disciples about what it meant to love Him. In this passage from the 15th chapter of John we see that Jesus showed them what kind of love He required of each of them- to love others just like we love Jesus, with a sacrificial kind of love not considering one’s own needs, but considering how to show love to others. I am all too aware how difficult it is to become vulnerable before people, especially if you don’t think that they mean you any good. Our very nature wants to protect our hearts from undue pain and suffering.
There is something here that God wants us to capture however. We’ve been living as "us" and "them" far too long. If we are going to see another Great Awakening sweep over this nation and the world, our love guage is going to have to run dry. We as the people of God are going to have love the unlovable, seek after the lost, comfort even the rebellious, and give the message of the gospel even to those who make accusations against it.
In effect, while the world is looking for another lion, we’re going to have to be a lamb!
Maria