Greetings!
“LOVE WITHOUT AN IF”
A new commandment I give it to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you… by this all men will know that you are my disciples.”
John 13: 34, 35
The Christian community is in serious DANGER. Why? Because "we" are partial. We love with a great big IF! But not my Jesus! Jesus' love is without an if.
Jesus didn’t say… if you change, I’ll love you.
Jesus didn’t say… if you accept my theology and doctrine, I’ll love you.
Jesus didn’t say… if you join my church, I’ll love you.
Jesus didn’t say… if you see things as I do, I’ll love you.
Jesus didn’t say… if you do things My way, I’ll love you.
Jesus didn’t say… if you follow in my footsteps then, I’ll love you.
Jesus’ love bypassed the politics of His day, the bias of His church and the prejudice of His people. He dared to love and minister to ALL-EVERYONE-NO EXCEPTIONS. Whether they were in the church, out of the church, at odds with the church, of a different church, or totally unchurched.
Would Jesus love and minister today to those who YOU are at odds with??? YES, AMEN, ALLELUIA!
In Contrast: We say, I’ll love and minister to you… if you join my church.
We say, I’ll love and ministered to you… if you agree with my theology and doctrine.
We say I’ll love ministered to you… if you accept my reforms and lifestyle.
We say I’ll love and minister to you… if you follow our rules, regulations, guidelines ,and policies.
We say I’ll love and minister to you… if you agree with me.
Love is giving of ourselves ENTIRELY for the benefit of others. John 3:16
Love is measured by the SACRIFICE you pour into others. That’s why Calvary was the greatest exhibition of love the world has ever seen.
It’s time we all find Calvary! True Christianity is a commitment to love without and IF. Not a permissiveness that lowers biblical standards or does away with scriptural principles--no never! It’s a commitment to live to principle--as well as to love and minister to the unprincipled. Is that you?
This kind of love is what tells me if you have Christ living in and through you (True Christianity) or whether you merely have religion and churchiantity.
If you can’t love like this, in baseball analogy you are only on second or third base and in order to get to home plate, you need to surrender all your resistance and depend completely on Christ living in and through you in order to empower you to love without and if as Jesus did.
Jim Hohnberger
Empowered Living Ministries
I thrive on snowshoeing in God’s creation during the winter.
