Never Wrong to Love

John 15:12 (New Living Translation)

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.

When you are child trying to do the right thing, there is little confusion about what is right and what is wrong. Your parents or teachers or policemen do the thinking for you, and they set the rules. Those kids who disobey are the bad ones, and the good ones do as they're told. Life isn't easy, but at least it's simple. Then you grow up.

All of the sudden decisions become much more complicated. When you were younger, if you didn't know what the right action was you could ask your nearest authority figure, and they would help you. If you do that now, you're likely to get caught up in a cult or scandal of some sort. In fact, there are no authority figures near you unless you make them an authority. You're an adult. Now you choose what is right and base it on whatever you want (if you live in America). Even if you choose to use the Bible as your authority because you believe it is the Word of God, there are still many complicated decisions to be made. This is evidenced by the verse in Philippians:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Phil. 2:12,13)

Once you decide in your heart to believe that Jesus' sacrifice is your only hope for salvation, there is the matter of the rest of your life to be dealt with. A number of questions result, beginning with this one:

"I believe that Jesus died in my place so that I can be saved and rose again. NOW what am I supposed to do?!"

I once believed that there is a simple answer to that question: Find a Bible-believing church to go to once a week. Pray and read the Bible every day. But how can I give that direction to new Christians when I know people who do those things and are not bearing fruit at all? I can no longer in good conscience deal out those pat answers. The real question is: should I be answering these questions at all? None of the current spiritual questions I have now can be answered with a simple cliche, so why should I think cliches will solve my friends' problems? Lately I have withholding my opinions on what people should do, even if their word choice is indirectly begging me to tell them. I've been refusing to condition them to rely on me rather than Jesus. We'll see how that works out in the coming months. I may be in for some correction.

I love how the Bible doesn't hide the struggle of followers of the Lord to "get it right." Just look at the disciples and Israelites and patriarchs; they are constantly making mistakes even though they are in direct verbal communication with GOD. That speaks to the fact that sin can blind anyone.

This is why it is occasionally important for follows of Christ to come back to the Cliff Notes version of what is "right" to do: Love people as God loves you.

It is never wrong to love someone.

Though it is hard to breach their emotional walls...
Though it is hard to predict how they will respond to your actions...
Though it is hard to avoid misunderstanding and awkward moments...
Though it is hard to forgive past wrongdoings...
Though it is hard to separate their actions from the image of God inside of them...
Though it is hard to give them bad news when you know they need to hear it...
Though it is hard to learn their language...
Though you've tried before and failed...
Though you don't always know how...

It is NEVER wrong to love someone.

That is a clear message from Scripture that gives me comfort. Where there is a risk in a thousand areas in my life that my decisions are wrong, when I am loving someone, I can do no wrong. And this also includes loving myself rightly because self hatred is the same as hating your brother.

May God continually put us in situations that reveal our resistance to loving his image-bearers, so we can repent and be inwardly changed.