What God and Jesus did for us on this day is all about love. What is asked from us in return is obedience of course but His greatest commandment is for us to Love one another. Hate NO ONE. Love ALL.
One of our biggest challenges in the age in which we live is to love those who hate and disrespect us and others. We need to disagree respectfully, appreciating why others believe what they do. We should not allow disagreement to divide us irreparably.
What's hard for me this day and most days recently is how others can hate us Christians so much for our beliefs and how they can ascribe things to us that are wrong and unfair. We do not hate ... at least we're commanded not to. But we're called to recognize and stand against what God's Word describes as sin.
Unlike some, our faith does not command us to kill others simply for not believing what we do. In fact, we're commanded to love our neighbors and to love our enemies even while standing strongly against them in our own defense. What's so bad about a 'religion' that places love above all else? Why do those who practice our faith in some countries deserve to die simply because they believe in our loving God and practice love even among those who hate them and have no qualms about saying they want to kill us, not because we've done them any harm but only because we don't believe what they do?
The irrationality and inhumane-ness of it weighs heavily on me most of the time but on this special day I rejoice in the living God who gave me real life, enables me to love my enemies while resisting them and empowers me to stand up to unfair, irresponsible and corrupt governance.
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