Anywhere you see true love, somebody sacrificed. Love is Sacrifice. The greatest love of all was proven in the greatest sacrifice of all. And it was all for you. Do you even realize how very loved you are?
Jesus told the rich man to trade his wealth for treasure in HEAVEN, where gold is used for paving streets. In other words, gold is worthless up there, so it can't be worth much down here either. Hearing this, the rich man walked away sad. Poor guy.
Back in the day a momma tied her apron strip to the baby so it couldn't wander while she worked. Once it was old enough, she cut the string. Parents, you gotta cut the string. They are not supposed to be tied to you all their lives. They are supposed to become anchored in Christ.
In 1974 a prominent group of theologians known as Nazareth sang and told us " Love Hurts." Don't believe it. Love never causes pain. It's when people fail to love that somebody gets hurt.
In the church, the Spirit makes us one. We are not trying to create a unity we don't have. We are trying to hang on to a unity we don't want to lose.
Living for Jesus requires your radical commitment to loving the people you go to church with. No exceptions. If you don't get this part of what it means to love Jesus, you haven't gotten any part of it.
Is church unity ever a bad thing? It depends on what unifies us. There are lots of idle churches totally unified in their decline. Wouldn't you rather trade in the unity of doing nothing for the unity of a shared adventure in Christ?
Would we be more united at church if we all were not so different? No. The church would be more united if we all were not so selfish. So how do you get selfish people to stop being selfish?
For over 2,000 years they have said Jesus is coming again. So what's taking him so long? He waits, because if he were to show up today and put an end to it all, a lot of people would be lost forever. He's giving you more time.
Let's be clear. Becoming a Christian isn't a decision about evolution, sexuality, gender expression, politics, or anything else. The gospel requires only one thing: a radical decision about Jesus. Who is he? Who is he to you?