Love is the Answer

What will reveal our identity as His children more than choosing love over judgement? 

Matthew 5:44-45 - “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! For that will reveal your identity as children of your heavenly Father. He is kind to all by bringing the sunrise to warm and rainfall to refresh whether a person does what is good or evil.”

Jesus’s selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love—even for our enemies—is the model for us to embody. This way of sacrificial love doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to injustice or ignore reality, but it does mean the way we interact around polarizing issues and the way we treat each other as human beings must change. The change is not toward shaming, fear mongering, or choosing a side, but toward love as our daily reality.

Who judges and determines what is morally right or wrong? 

Jesus is the authority in this area. 

Although Jesus is the just judge of the world, his verdict for all who betrayed his message was the cross. He ultimately chose to have his hands bound and He let the religious and political leaders of the day brutally murder Him. He became the message. 

Jesus died so ALL could experience the Kingdom here and now.

Though He had the capability and the capacity of sitting in judgement, his “judgement” was fully on display at the cross: love of enemies. 

In these polarizing times, the love of Jesus speaks a different word and invites us all into a different story. There are many voices inciting division and calling us to one side or another in the name of their version of “good.” Some of these things are indeed good! But Jesus’s way is better than good and better than being right. 

As I wrote a song last week, these words came to mind: “We’ve made religion our god, worship all the right answers. Can’t we lay our opinions down? Can we give up this cancer?”

My prayer for me and you is that any vestige of empty “religion” fueled by judgment of what’s good or bad is set aside. I pray that Jesus is our Way, our Truth, and our Life. I pray that He builds relationships between us that are fueled by love, value, and trust rather than judgement, even judgements that seem legitimate.