How to Love

The deadliest mass shooting in the United States and the nation's worst terror attack since 9/11 happened yesterday morning.

Of course when you have tragedy, people respond. And sadly as I've sat and listened and read people's responses they haven't been the most loving. I've even heard fellow Christians take radical stances on this issue.

The facts: There is a ton of brokenness in this situation. 50 dead, 53 injured and people are using this tragedy to promote their political views.

That's really sad and breaks my heart, because we have a reason to come together as a nation and mourn for the loss of individual's lives. To put aside our differences and be united as a nation.

To my fellow believers in Christ, we are called to Love, and I've seen social media posts, and heard many speak, we are not representing Jesus very well.

Maybe the most quoted passage of scripture about Love is found in 1 Corinthians 13. Paul is clearly illustrating what authentic Love looks like.

1 Corinthians 13:6-7

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The truth is we, as followers of Christ, are called to Love. Paul writes at the beginning of the chapter that if we do not Love we are worthless. Paul says without Love we are as useful as a clanging cymbal, that we are just good for making noise. No one will pay attention to what we have to say.

I've heard a lot of noise these past two days.

I think my heart broke most when I read this tweet from Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick:

I think this is what lead me to create this blog, not the most loving thing to post on Social Media shortly after a true tragedy. I am so glad that we have a God that loves us exactly where we are.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And if accept his free gift of salvation we are set free from the life that we have made for ourselves, and the forever separation we will experience without repentance.

1 John 4:19

"We Love because God first Loved us"

My prayer and challenge as you go into this next week is to fully live out Paul's command in Romans.

Romans 13:8-10

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

My hope is that you would use this tragedy to Love and to show Love toward others. We are called to Love no matter a person's view, sex, gender, or ideologies we are called to love people just as our radical savior did.