Faith under a tree

When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: "Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?" Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them." (Matt 22:34-40 Msg)

Last week I was asked a question:

"How can you be rabid for Jesus and not come across as a bigot?"

Christians have had there time in the sun and in the mud. The worlds reception of Christians depends from person to person. Good or bad, we are asked to love God first and alongside that love our neighbor. To answer this question I must look at being solely sold out to Christ command of loving God and loving people. I think most time we think about how many people we can turn on to Jesus. But who wants to follow sheep that are really wolves masquerading as sheep. Not practicing what we preach. Sometimes we fail to be an example of Jesus. In our work place, schools, community and the many diffrent circles we run in. Some may say that the church is going to hell in a handbasket, but I would like to say it's not. Christ message is love with grace and in that grace we can find a peace/understanding that surpasses all things plain and complicated. I myself have not come to be a follower of Jesus to judge those around me, but to love (whatever that might look like). Its a tough job loving people at times. It stretches my comfort zone, pulls me places where I would normally wouldn't want to go. It goes against the grain of self perservation. But thats the amazing thing about the love I find that Christ gives. I don't do it for treat or sticker or be in the good graces of Gods eyes. But I do it because faithfully that is the only thing I know that can make this world a better place. It is the greatest commandment; to love. To love God and to love people where they are at.