Let Love Lead (Thursday, Week 23, Year 2)

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From the little I have known from the Scriptures, I will continue to question a lot of things that we do or say today in the name of Christ. The brand of Christianity being practised today is simply at odds with the basic tenets of the biblical Christian faith and teachings. Some years ago, there was a viral video of a famous “man of God” cursing and saying that his congregation’s human enemies should die by fire; and he added “in the name of Jesus”. Praying in the name of Jesus who says that we should “love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us and pray for those who abuse us” (Luke 6:27-28)! In all honesty, do you think Jesus will have anything to do with such prayers? He will not and can never be attentive to such prayers, and it is better we stop wasting our time and energy praying for the death of our human enemies. The only Christian attitude is to love, to bless and to do good to everyone ALWAYS.

You see, God is love! His essence is love. All that he does, he does out of love. Out of love, He sent His Beloved Son to come and suffer and die for you and me. Before His Son Jesus physically left the world, He enjoined us to love one another as He had loved us. We know all these, we have the Scriptures to guide us; but we choose to import our human wickedness into our spirituality and then wrap it with the name of Jesus. That is the greatest insult to the name of Jesus; the biggest profanation of the Divine Name! 

I will always say that when love underlines all our actions, we will always get it right before God and people. In 1 Cor. 8:1b-7.11-13, St Paul begged the Corinthian Christians to be mainly led by love, not knowledge. Yes, knowledge puffs up but love builds up. Some of them were aware that food offered to idols poses no spiritual harm to their souls because an idol has no real existence. But for the sake of the weak Christians in their midst who were still growing in faith (who may be scandalized by seeing some people eat food offered to idols), St Paul enjoined them that no one should eat food offered to idols in the presence of such weak brothers and sisters in Christ. It should be a duty of love, not an arrogant display of knowledge. For the sake of love, let us avoid whatever that will be the cause of our brother’s or sister’s falling, even if it is food. 



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