Tag: love your neighbor

leaving Christianity.

leaving Christianity.

by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 5 Comments

I watched a news program today about the Christian baker who will not bake a cake for a transgender. He was the baker who was in the news some time ago who did not want to bake a cake for a gay couple getting married. He said it went against his Christian faith.

During the program, a woman who was part of a panel said she used to be a Christian. She left Christianity because of this very thing and she did not “find Christ among the Christians”. She brought up the women who was accused by the Pharisees of sexual sin and how Jesus defended her. He who is without sin cast the first stone. That was loving your neighbor and clearly, the baker was not loving his neighbor.

It’s a shame, isn’t it? And I completely understand.

Without Jesus there is no Christianity. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength; and the second commandment is love your neighbor as yourself.

There are no excuses. I have grown to dislike the statement, “well, there is no perfect church”. It sounds too “get-over-it” when, in the name of love (1 Corinthians 13 – love is patient and kind) people who are angry or hurt at an injustice they see deserve care.

Love is supposed to be the core of Christianity. It is the essence of who God is. He loved the world, knowing our desperation without atonement for sin, that he came down to earth in the form of a man and took the bullet for the rest of us.

It’s sad when people leave Christianity having “not found Christ in Christians” because it’s not God’s fault.

I know what it’s like to feel the disappointment, betrayal, and pain of being hurt in a faith that should be loving.

Yet, God tells us to forgive.

When we don’t forgive, then aren’t we not loving our neighbor?

The Church has been advancing throughout the centuries. The Bible refers to the Church as the Bride of Christ and says that Jesus cleanses with the washing of his word, to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish … she will be holy and without fault.

We are not there yet.

After seeing many Jews stop following him, Jesus asked his twelve disciples: Are you also going to leave?

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Is there any other place to go? If so, where will it ultimatley lead you?

If you did not see Christ in Christians, then see Christ in the Bible.

the red words.

the red words.

by Kathleen Moulton

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

“If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.”

“Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.”

“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”

“The most important one is, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

“The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

imperfect church.

imperfect church.

by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 1 Comment

Questions asked, communication fails, walk away with empty hands,

and an empty heart,

“there is no perfect church”.

Memory prompts thoughts of past hurts made without apology with the oh-so-common response of “I’m not perfect”.

One is an answer to accept and the other side steps acknowledgment.

And it’s love that covers the failure because love your neighbor.

I’m sorry for the hurt you were caused by the imperfect church.

I’m sorry you expected more. Not perfection. Just more.

More hearing.

More compassion.

More understanding.

More grace.

More love.

The unconditional kind of love you would expect from God.

The kind you have heard about,

the kind you were told,

but didn’t see.

The imperfect church does not reflect a perfect God.

go and do the same.

go and do the same.

by Kathleen Moulton

Love is the one thing people want.

Love is the one thing God wants.

The world needs love because God loves the world.

Through Christians, love should be evident. Love should be the opposite of what people deserve because God loved the world despite what it deserved.

Here is what love is:

Patient.

Kind.

Protective.

Trusting.

Hopeful.

Persevering.

Here is what love is not:

Proud.

Jealous.

Boastful.

Dishonoring of others.

Self-seeking.

Easily angered.

God tells us this:

If it were possible, if one understands all the hidden mysteries of life, have all the knowledge that exists, execute enough faith to move a mountain, give everything they own to the poor, and sacrifice their body to death, but if they did not love, they are nothing.

We would say aren’t all these things proof of my love?

According to God, apparently not.

We can do all kinds of things for God and in the name of God, but not really love.

Love costs us something. It requires we treat others the way we want to be treated.

We can spin it however we want but God knows our heart.

The two greatest commandments:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”

“The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

God wants us to love him and love our neighbor.

The way we do this is we are patient, kind, protective, trusting, hopeful, and persevering.

The way we do not do this is when we are prideful, jealous, arrogant, demanding, dishonoring, self-seeking, and easily angered.

When the world looks at Christians, this is what they should see. We are lights in the world. We represent God’s love for the world.

Anything less is just noise.

Noise that sounds like cymbals crashing.

Noise that does not settle gently into a weary soul.

The way God came for you.

Photo by Saved by Grace (100% God, 0% Me) on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

no earthly thing.

no earthly thing.

by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 7 Comments

There is no earthly thing that can take the pain away of your child’s death.

I have read story after story of many, specifically mothers, who need this validation. Because for the most part, they are not hearing it from anyone else.

In fact, they feel distanced from people who were once a part of their lives. And it is not the mothers who are creating the distance.

It’s not that mothers want someone to fuss over them. It’s that for some unknown reason, if their child’s death wasn’t enough to grieve about, friends, family, and church family distance themselves.

It’s almost as if they are too close, they will catch something.

The reality of death? The reality of knowing their child could die, too?

And so a second layer of grief is added to the first layer.

Grieving a child’s death is different than any other grieving. Every time a well-meaning person says, “at least you have good memories”, “death is death” (no, suicide is different), or any other statement to bring comfort, it is literally like pouring salt in a wound.

I think the hardest thing is for mothers who are part of a church family. I’ve read their stories. How is it that the very people who should know what to say … don’t know what to say? Or say the wrong things?

And then, instead of acknowledging this ineptness, the grieving mother is told “well, people don’t know what to say or do”.

You mean those who profess to know God, filled with the Holy Spirit, going out into all the world to preach the gospel – some believing in the mandate to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils – don’t know what to say to a heartbroken mother? Distance themselves? And God forbid, talk about her behind her back?

She’s not the same.

Really?

I often think about Jesus’ words to us: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

Perhaps the most important thing we should be doing in our churches today is that.

We do so many other things that we deem as our love for God and ignore what might take more of a commitment. More compassion. More understanding. More patience.

This has to be on God’s heart. Just read the letters to the churches in the book of Revelation.

Many are shipwrecked in their faith because of this further grief.

It’s not God’s fault. I know, the church represents God. But it is not yet perfect.

So we look to God for all that he promises for broken hearts.

We trust he is bigger than us and develop that relationship with him.

I promise, he will help you.

There is no earthly thing that can take away the pain of your child’s death.

Only Heavenly.

 

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Mara ~earth light~ via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

 

sorry.

sorry.

by Kathleen Moulton

Sometimes, we’re the one who causes pain.

When I think in those terms, I am not so ready to be angry at someone who has hurt me.

This is humility.

humility-1_l

Humility is taking your rightful place in God’s creation, yet, submitting yourself to the bigger picture.

We don’t say we’re sorry enough. Far too often, we make it about us and our feelings. Our feelings count. But so do the feelings of others.

In Christianity, the focus is on loving God and your neighbor. Jesus said these were the greatest commandments and if you are doing this, “the rest” will fall into place.  If you think about it, it’s because all of our thoughts, words, and actions are affecting God or our neighbor.

When you give and don’t think about yourself first, you are a happier person.

Challenge:  For the next 7 days, say you are sorry to one person every day.  See how humble it makes you feel.

~~~

Photo credit: ToniVC / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND