Y’all hold on because I’m about to preach. Some of you may disagree, but I’ve got a huge bee in my bonnet over a few issues this week.  More precisely, I have been really saddened to see people who call themselves Christians acting so hateful.  I truly do not understand it.  I would love to point out these verses to them:

Matthew 22 : 36 Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.38 This is the first and great commandment.39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

So, then what is the biblical definition of love?

1 Corinthians 13: 4 Love is patient,love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

It doesn’t say “unless you disagree with their way of life, if they’re living contrary to the bible, or if you’re a racist jerk….then it’s totally cool to do whatever you want.”  No.  It says love your neighbor. Period. I don’t think “mourning for our country” over the legalization of gay marriage or protesting the removal of a racist flag qualifies. If you go on to read the rest of that chapter(1 Corinthians 13) it talks about progress and leaving behind outdated practices and beliefs.  It ends with the phrase “The greatest of these is love.”  That sentiment occurs many times in the bible.  But people don’t seem to focus on those verses too much.

Am I saying that you have to approve of everything that everyone does all the time? No, of course not. You’re entitled to your opinions and beliefs. But we do need to treat each other with respect and dignity.  Everyone deserves freedom and equality.  Try putting yourself in the other person's shoes for awhile.

The greatest of these is love.  The greatest of these isn’t condemning others and there should be no room for hate of any kind in the heart of a true Christian. That includes hate disguised as “concern” or feeling like it’s your duty to point out sin in other people’s lives. It's not.  God can handle that just fine without you!  The bible also tells us not to judge:

Matthew 7: 4 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5"You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye! (Jesus said that, btw)

It is God’s place to judge and convict:   John 16:8-8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin.  This is talking about the Holy Spirit.  It says HE will convict /judge. Not you.  Not me.

Y’all are free to do whatever you want, but as for me and my house, we will always choose love.