Hello, I’m January
Inspiration and thoughts on God and faith, written by a simple human, navigating life through the messy and sometimes chaotic.
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On Trend: Love
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:14
The teen years. It’s a rite of passage. And if you, as we are, are raising a teen; it can also be a day by day struggle to build a healthy sense of self. How exactly? Well, as it is with adults at times, what you wear, and how you present yourself to the world…well, it determines your social status. Put on the wrong pair of pants, and you could just be the laughing stock of the entire school! How embarrassing!
Paul in Colossians 3 discusses a different type of dress. One that has nothing to do with the outward appearance that we seem to be so obsessed with. As he mentions in verse 14, the most important part of this outfit is love. He lists it as the one thing that binds everything together.
How true this is.
Without love we cannot wear patience and mercy. We simply don’t have the capacity to do so. To extend these virtues out to others who get on our nerves or hurt us.
Without God’s love, we also don’t have the desire to remove our sin clothing. Those outfits that simply don’t belong in our closets anymore when we begin to walk with Christ. Those garments such as anger, lust, and greed. We have no use for them anymore. It’s time to purge them to make more room for the love God desires we wear instead.
Look, we could put on the trendiest outfit, but not put on love, and walk around with a downright rusty, crusty heart. The world may be satisfied, but God wouldn’t be.
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather someone judge my ‘fit harshly, and see a heart that reflects God.
His outfit is the only one that is worthy of wearing. His is the only ‘fit that’s gonna get you His Kingdom garments.
Clothe yourselves with love.
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As He Has Loved You
This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. John 15:12
There are ten commandments provided by God. Spoken through Moses. Then there is the commandment given by Jesus, not canceling the first ten; but making them all possible to do.
Through love.
In John 15, Jesus is speaking to his disciples. This isn’t one of his many lessons or parables he was teaching throughout his ministry. This was THE message. His last to them before he would sacrifice himself for them. Display the ultimate act of love.
Is Jesus instructing us to die for others? Not necessarily. He is asking us to make sacrifices for others in order to demonstrate his love. To give up our own desires. To deny ourselves. Not our values, but our pleasures.
How do we love as Jesus loved us?
We encourage. We speak kind words to others, over others, and about others. We walk away from gossip and conversations that seek to tear others down.
We listen. We don’t always need to have the answer or last word. We don’t even have to agree. But we can simply be an ear for someone who needs to be heard.
We help and we give. Of our time. Our resources. Our talents. Our wisdom. We don’t keep these things to ourselves, and for our own personal success and gain, but to give to others. And sometimes this means we have to give up something “fun,” to be Jesus to someone.
We forgive. We don’t have to die to offer forgiveness. Nor do we have to continue to allow abuse and disrespect. We do have to pray. For the salvation of those who hurt us. For our hearts to heal. Then we move on. Loving from afar, with this in mind: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)
That’s what Jesus did, and it is what we are called to do.
Go out and love like Jesus-today, tomorrow, and the next day. Just as he loves you!
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We Can’t “Hate,” and Love
If someone says “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar, for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we can’t see? 1 John 4:20
Ouch. It’s only Day 3 of this love journey, and God has just punched me in the gut. But wait…you are a pastor? I know. But I still struggle with people. But hate? Yes, I’ll get to that word.
Growing up I learned there were several words you just did NOT say. Anything using God’s name if you were not specifically praising Him. Shut-up. Certain potty words. Whatever (mainly me, as a teen, to my mom). And hate. Why hate? Hate was considered too strong a word to use. We were told we “may not like their ways, but we don’t HATE.”
Hate in this instance meant contempt. It meant a sheer dislike. A desire to see someone suffer. And growing up this was considered something of bad character.
God doesn’t like it either. Especially among His believers. Especially in His churches.
Why is this such a big deal to Him?
First, the Greek translation of hate is “miso,”which means to loathe, detest, abominate. If you look at the definitions of these words they all imply intensity of emotion. Utter disgust for someone. It is usually accompanied by malice, and a desire to see someone pay.
You ever felt that? Don’t lie. I’m not going to. I have. When someone hurts me, I want them to feel the hurt I have. If they prosper, it makes me angry. I wonder why in the world they would be blessed, and I want the whole world to know their true character.
But these things are not characteristic of God. God detests evil, yes. And He will take care of evil people, but His overall nature is loving.
So we can’t hate someone, and love God at the same time. We can’t hate someone, and display His character. We can’t curse someone else, and praise Him with the same lips.
If we find ourselves in this state of emotion, we must use our lips for something good-prayer.
Pray for God to excise our hearts of resentment and anger. Pray we have hearts that see those who have hurt us in the way He sees them. Pray we wish them well, and not ill.
We don’t have to like everyone we meet. Everyone we are around. Everyone who has hurt us. But we do have to have hearts that are free from hatred in order to display the love of God to others. We are called to live in harmony. With all his children. With the people we see around us.
This is what He desires.
He would love nothing more than this from His children.
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The Original “Ride or Die”
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13
Ride or die.
It’s a term actually originated in the 1950’s by bikers referring to the fact that if they couldn’t ride, they would rather die. It is now being used to refer to relationships-those that are romantic in nature, friendly, and some even toxic (think “Bonnie and Clyde” here).
When we use the phrase, what are we referring to? What are the qualities that make someone a “ride or die?” It is usually someone who is fiercely loyal. Someone who will face problems with you head-on, alongside you. Someone who will “ride” with you, even when the ride becomes bumpy, filled with potholes, and may even be filled with danger. They will sacrifice themselves for you.
Do you know anyone like this? A partner? A friend?
I do.
His name is Jesus.
The OG “ride or die.”
Let’s fact check this one. Does Jesus fit our modern description?
Loyal? Check. He was about his Father’s business, no one else’s (Luke 2:49).
Encourager? Check. Jesus did not desire that those close to him would remain the way they were. Trapped by their past, or doubting their gifts. He took some of those rejected by society and made them his disciples-teaching them how to lead others after he was gone.
Honest? Check. Jesus did not dodge the truth. He didn’t sugar coat to make his disciples feel better. He spoke the truth in love. Even when it wasn’t popular.
Supportive at all times? Check. Jesus provided a way back to him when others went astray, offering mercy and forgiveness to those who were truly repentant (See Luke 22:54-62 and John 21:15-17)
Willing to sacrifice? Check. Jesus would rather die than allow us to continue in our own path of destruction. He sacrificed himself, not just for a few, but for the entire gang of us.
I would say that makes him the original “ride or die.” The truest definition of the term. The example of sacrifice and laying down one’s life for those we love.
There is no greater love than that one.
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He Does It All with Love
And do everything with love. 1 Corinthians 16:14
If you have been around a long time, there is a chance you have heard of Mother Teresa, the Catholic nun who dedicated her life to the poor and desolate in the slums of Calcutta. In her lifetime she set up orphanages, she fed the homeless, she organized countless soup kitchens, and she educated the poor. One of her most famous quotes is one that closely mirrors the verse at the beginning of this post: “Do small things with great love.”
Where did this example of love come from? How do we learn to live out a love like this in our daily lives?
Our example is God.
Some of us may not have learned about a loving God growing up. We may have learned that God was essentially angry. Sitting on a throne in heaven, waiting to smite us if we did anything wrong. We may have feared lightening shooting down from heaven for any small transgression against Him, or any other authority figure.
While God is in fact a jealous God, and He does get angry…He is not a God who is all-consumed with rage, and an abusive nature; at the ready to hand out punishment any time we slip and fall.
God does discipline. Yes.
God does course correct. Yes.
God does sometimes make us stand face to face with our sin, as if we are looking at ourselves in a mirror. Yes, He does.
God does allow us to suffer when we take the wrong path over and over again.
But He does everything with love.
Because He disciplines, course corrects, and reveals our need for change because His desire is to show us grace. To move us to right position with Him, and in His kingdom. Not to smite us. He wants so much better for us. His is the kind of love that gently nudges us to come to Him in still, small voices, and also shows His love in the biggest way possible-by sending the One who took the fall for all we would do. Just so we would have a path to forgiveness when we are poor, destitute, and hungry for love.
He does everything He can in big and small ways to show His love for us. In the hopes we accept, and then show that love in everything we do for others.
About Me
I am January! Wife, mother, meemaw, pastor, and mental health provider who makes it through the day with my coffee, my journal, and my God; and I am also on some days a hot mess. A simple human, navigating life through the messy and sometimes chaotic.
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