From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
What’s not to like about affable Tim Tebow?
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback once said the best advice he ever received was simply this: “Love Jesus, love people.”
It is based on the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40, which says, “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’ There are many people who claim to love Jesus but then they treat other people quite badly and I think, Houston, we have a problem!”
A key indicator of proof that we love Jesus is by how we treat other people with His love.
In John 13:34, at the Last Supper, Jesus said to His close followers, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
He then sealed the deal in the very next verse by saying, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I want you to stop for a moment and think of someone at your office, your school, your factory, your sports team – wherever – whom you find very difficult to love.
Perhaps they have an irritating personality or are hard to get along with or always have an opinion on something.
Now, think back to what Jesus said about how we prove that we love Him.
I have an assignment for you this week.
I want you to pray and ask the Lord to help you find a way to reach out to this person in love.
It cannot be something grudging and disingenuous, it needs to be something that perhaps meets a practical need or is just simply a small kindness.
It could be buying them a coffee of leaving a note of encouragement on their desk.
Maybe they are going through some difficulty in their life right now like a health issue or a recent loss of a loved one.
You could tell them you are keeping them in prayer.
You may be amazed how your heart’s attitude towards them changes when you decided to act on what our Saviour taught.
Go ahead and try it this week!
