Lead with Love - Day 289 Month 10-15 Week 40-2
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Chronicles%201%2C%202%2C%20Job%208%2C%20Hosea%2012%2C%202%20Timothy%203&version=NASB1995
“In the last days, difficult times will come.” Those are the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1.
Paul goes on to describe people who love themselves and money, who are boastful, arrogant, ungrateful, unloving, unwilling to reconcile, malicious gossips, lacking self control, brutal, reckless, conceited, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. That is quite a list!
Unfortunately, as I read it, I can think of people who fit many of those descriptions. But rather than pointing out all the people I think fit the list, I want to look at what I should be striving for in my own life.
As Jesus followers, we are called to be different. Jesus described us as the salt of the earth. Salt adds flavour, and I want my life to add something good to the world around me. I want to love others rather than money, be humble rather than conceited, build people up rather than tear them down, be grateful, show kindness, be willing to reconcile, keep confidences, exercise self control, be gentle, stand for what is good, be reliable and responsible, and love God more than my own desires. That's quite a list of its own! And some of it is hard to live out.
Right now, Sylvia and I are pretty tight on finances. It is hard not to think about money when having more of it would be very helpful. But there is a difference between recognizing that we need money to meet our expenses and becoming so focused on money that it takes priority over everything else. I need to be careful about that distinction.
When I am working at the hardware store, it can be difficult not to participate in gossip. It is all around me. There are two things I try to do. If I hear something that should be kept confidential, I try not to pass it on. Even better, if I recognize that a conversation is turning into gossip, I can walk away rather than participate.
I don't always get it right. But I can choose how I respond. I can choose to love my neighbour as myself, or I can contribute to division and hurt. I want my words and actions to help people rather than tear them down.
Paul says in verse 5 that some people will be “holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power” (2 Timothy 3:5 NASB1995). That is a humbling thought. It is possible to appear as a person of faith yet fail to live out the love and goodness that should represent our faith.
I hear and see examples of this in the world today, including among some who identify with the Christian right. When I see arrogance, cruelty, or contempt for others from people who publicly claim to follow Jesus, I find myself wondering how that fits with His teaching to love God and love our neighbours. But I need to be careful here, too. This is not just a problem for people whose politics differ from mine. I need to examine my own heart by the same standard.
We may well be living in what Paul calls the last days. Whatever our understanding of that phrase, we know we have choices to make today. I cannot control how others behave, but I can take responsibility for how I live.
I want to be someone who adds a little flavour to this world, not someone who makes it more bitter. I want my life to reflect the love of God and the love I am called to show others.
So let's lead with love.
Have a great day!
Steve
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