Lenten Reader | Day 25

March 22nd, 2023

The Way of Love

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 4:32-5:2

Let’s face it, people are not always easy to treat with kindness and compassion. It’s not easy to forgive when we’ve been wronged. It’s not easy to love others with whom we don’t see eye to eye. Let me go one step further: without the grace of God, those things are impossible.

We are not called to love conditionally as the world sees love. We are called to be a representation of Christ and love others the way he loves us. We must see others as a creation of God, created in the image of God. On our worst day, God still loves us. These verses call us to follow that example. We may be the only example of Christ’s love that some people see.

Maybe you’ve heard the song “They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love”. It comes directly from Jesus speaking to his disciples in John 13:34-35 – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Notice it doesn’t say, “They will know we are Christians by your bumper sticker”. But know this, if you have a bumper sticker advertising your Christianity, the world will be watching. So it’s probably best to just live by Jesus’ example to advertise your Christianity. As 1 John 4:7-8 says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Joe Glandon