Embrace the Within no. 214

“I am giving you a new command: that you keep on loving each other. In the same way that I have loved you, you are also to keep on loving each other. Everyone will know that you are my talmidim by the fact that you have love for each other” (Yochanan (Jhn) 13:34-35). We are to love each other like Jesus loved us. He is to be our example of love in action. Folks will know we follow Him through our love for each other. Adopting or continuing in the habits of the Goyim is not His Way.

Yesterday I spoke a little about the secular trend of “telling it like it is” that has crept its way into church. “Telling it like it is” is something different than speaking Truth. Speaking Truth comes through love for one another while “telling it like it is” comes from an argument mentality of the world to win in the clash of ideas. The great thing about following Jesus is that I no longer need to win anything because He already won for me. I don’t need to argue that my ideas are better or that my way of life is better with my words. My actions of loving like He did will go far beyond what I can say. Mirroring His Way of loving each other goes a long way to showing the Goyim what He is like. And we show that through the fruits of the Ruach HaKodesh, “. . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things” (Galatians (Gal) 5:22-23).

We don’t need to win arguments. We don’t need the best scripture references. We don’t need to “own” folks that disagree with our beliefs. Those are things of the Goyim. I should know because I spent a lot of time out there thinking that having the best philosophy and the best argument were going to do something. Let me tell you that it didn’t. Thankfully God used those situations for me to grow and become a better Christian and a better person. And there are rifts that still exist in my life from those days. There are folks that will no longer speak to me. There are folks that have unfriended me. There are folks that will not accept my apology. There are folks that I hurt. And I have to own those mistakes of my past that came out of a culture of “telling it like it is” and trying to win arguments.

We do not need to win arguments. We don’t need to do anything but love Him and our neighbors.

Grace and Shalom to your home.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH