CHRISTIAN LOVE

Just to be clear, true followers of Jesus Christ
do not have a “holier than thou” attitude.
No true Christian looks down their nose at non-Christians,
nor does he or she consider themselves better than others.
True believers are led by God’s instructions and one of His instructions
is for us to not only avoid feeling superior to others, but in fact,
consider them as more important than ourselves.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility
value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each
of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

There is a reason He commands us to do that – it teaches us to be humble
(which means we are grateful for what God has given us,
but at the same time, we do not consider ourselves better than others).
Humility creates a selfless attitude in us.

Being humble doesn’t mean we think less of ourselves,
it means we think of ourselves less.
Humility requires strong character and confidence.
It is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.
It takes strong character to avoid things like bragging, gossiping, having anger,
being jealous, wanting revenge, holding grudges, and developing arrogant pride.

So then, why do Christians want lost people to be saved?
It is because they care more about non-Christians
than many of them care about Christians.
It is a love for others which is part of the total package
when God gives us a new spiritual birth.
Think about this for a second – when someone gets something special
and valuable, often they don’t want others to have the same thing.

Not so with Christians: they know the valuable gift of salvation God
has given them and they want everyone to receive the same gift.
Christians know the benefits that are included with salvation, and
one of them is to avoid eternal suffering at the end of our earthly life.

Christians shutter at the thought of anyone going to hell,
because they have a love for others and they know God
has provided a way to avoid eternal punishment.
If a person found a cure for a devastating disease,
he or she would want everyone to know about it, right?

That is exactly the attitude true believers have about God’s gift of salvation.
Of course some may stumble through trying to encourage others to receive
the salvation from God, but remember their efforts are out of a heart of love
for others, and certainly not from a condescending attitude.

Christians are fans of others becoming the best they can be,
and want to see them enjoy a fellowship with their Creator.
They know that in order to find meaning in life and to enjoy
a new joy and peace, people need a relationship with the Lord.

God extends His offer of a new life to each of His creations.
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in
order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the
glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:4)

God makes it clear that we are all sinners, so no person is
better than their neighbor; He also makes it clear that
every person has the same opportunity to be saved.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16)

So, if someone wants to share their testimony with you, or encourage you
to accept God’s free gift of salvation, remember to listen to their heart
when their words seem awkward…they are doing their best to show their
love for you, and their concern about where you will spend eternity.

Christians are God’s agents whom He uses as a conduit to speak to
your heart about the most important decision you will ever make
(remember that no decision is really a decision of rejection).
God loves you, and so do true followers of Jesus Christ.

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