Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
— Ephesians 5:2
One of my favorite points from the sermon this past Sunday was the quote that “we get to act like Jesus and that we get to bring glory to God.” I felt convicted as the words were spoken over me. Do I always see acting like Jesus as something that is enjoyable?
In the verse above, we are commanded to “walk in love,” the way Jesus does, without regard for our circumstances. Sometimes this can be difficult for people, myself included. Some people just seem to be hard to love, whether it be that annoying co-worker, rude classmate, or dumb driver on Highway 80. While those people might make us wish we were elsewhere, that does not dismiss us from our calling to love like Jesus does.
Think about your own personal relationship with Christ and how that came to be. You found yourself in a difficult place with no hope, but because Jesus paid our debt on the cross, we are able to have a relationship with him and not have to worry about the struggles in our lives because those fights have already been won. I’m so thankful for the love that Christ has for us. We don’t deserve to be redeemed of our sin. We don’t deserve to have this second chance. The same way Christ has loved us, we are to love all people. Yes, all people. This means people of all religions, all races, all political viewpoints, all people who are struggling with sin, whether it be alcohol addiction, lying, homosexuality, cheating or anything else! Every single person is worthy of God’s love, so why shouldn’t they be worthy of yours?
I can’t even begin to tell you all the stories I’ve heard from friends, classmates and people on social media who suffer from being bullied, neglected or treated poorly because of a sin struggle or situation. It is imperative that we love on those that are going through these difficult times, regardless of the situation. It might not be easy to show love at all times, but you never know, you might just change somebody’s life and help them come to meet our amazing Savior because some random person at work showed them love and gave them hope on a day that they felt hopeless. This is huge for us as Christians. How are we to engage fully in acting like Jesus if we can’t even love our neighbor that’s right next to us?
Like I said, sometimes it’s not easy. I’m still working on it too, but if somebody can receive the kind of love that we’ve already received and continue to receive daily from our Savior, it is of the utmost importance that we do anything and everything we can to help them find it. I encourage you to dig deep and truly love the way Christ loves us this week. If acting like Jesus is a goal for you, this is a great place to start.