I tackled a little bit bigger chunk than normal today, doing the first 13 verses of chapter 2, but it all ties together.
We should treat all people with love, grace, mercy. WE CANNOT discriminate based on finances, looks, gender, lifestyle, heritage, whatever.
We are to love all, and base our judgment, for lack of a better term, on the heart. All the while remembering that God also sees our heart. No one is perfect. No two people are the same. We all need grace, mercy, and love.
Is it okay to have people we gee-haw with better than others? Of course! Even Jesus had His close circles of friends – circles within circles.
This means that we are to treat all people as worthy of love and respect, no matter where they come from and no matter what they bring to the table.
There’s a Backstreet Boys song (I know, I’m dating myself here) with the lyrics, “I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, what you did, as long as you love me.” God doesn’t care who you are, where you’re from, what you did, He still loves you and wants you to love Him, too. And as Christians (followers and imitators of Christ), we should feel the same.
So I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, what you did – I love you. I want to show you God’s grace and mercy.
Wonderful. I try to learn and be reminded of new understanding of things every day. You help me so much with this. Thank you. Love you.