He loves [and calls me to do the same]

The greatest people I have known, the ones who left the biggest mark on both myself and this world... were great lovers of people.

They defied all logic. Loving those who hurt them, cheated them, cursed them and even left them. They showed love beyond everything, leaving myself and others confused. When asked where this love capacity came from, they all had the same answer... "God. He loves and calls me to do the same."

Jesus agreed and in His attempts to get this point across, He answered a lot of questions. On one of those occasions, an expert of the law questioned Jesus.

"Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." Luke 10: 25-28 NLT

Seems clear enough, doesn't it? Love the Lord and love your neighbors. However, I would dare to say this command trips us up more than any other.

Like the man questioning Jesus in Luke 10, we want further definition. Who is our neighbor? Who do we have to love?

In a time when lines are drawn because of race, religion, political affiliations and a host of other reasons to divide... we have many reasons to overlook Jesus' call to love, don't we? However when I think of those people, the ones who loved so well, they didn't find reason not to. On the contrary, they always found a reason to [love].

Jesus challenged the man as to the concept of who his neighbor really was, who he was called to love. In doing so, he encouraged the man to go outside of his box, love people beyond his comfort and understanding.

I challenge you and I to the same today... to love.

In these politically charged times we have confused love with an acceptance of one truth over another. We think that if we show love to a person we disagree with, it is a sort of weakness for our own platform and an elevation of another. However, I disagree.

Showing love to those most opposite of yourself, reflects an absolute certainty or resolve in your own convictions. It says, "God loves and He calls me to do the same."

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1Corinthians 13:1"

Please, fight the urge to the noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Instead, show love.