Commanded to Love
Ah, it is summertime, my favorite time to put on shorts, flip flops and head to the beach. Wearing flip flops recently took on a different meaning for me. Allow me to explain.
We were holding a clinic in Africa and we saw goiters (an abnormally large thyroid gland), HIV, typhoid fever and malnutrition. Then, suddenly, we saw something that made us all fall silent. A woman “walked” up wearing flip flops, but she was wearing them on her hands and dragging the rest of her body behind her.
We knelt beside the lady and asked, “Is there anything we can do to help you?” She just looked at us as if we were crazy and replied, “Well, no, I just came down here to see if I could offer to help you!”
The next time you slip on your flip flops, think of this woman and walk a little bit taller. I ask you, dear Christian, to take a few moments to ask someone how you can assist them today.
It is not an option for us to love one another, which by the way, not only includes our brothers and sisters in Christ and our neighbors, but also our enemies. In John 13:34-35, Christ tells us:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Help someone in need today with the love of Jesus Christ—despite their faults, different opinions, and regardless if you feel like it or not, be obedient unto Him.
