Hi, I'm Ryan Lee Sears. I stink at studying for finals I have in 8 hours. I am terrible with words.. "words are hard," right, Dex? I have so many shortcomings and my heart is holey. I make the worst jokes ...that i laugh the hardest at, the previous joke for example. I like going to QT just to love on the clerks. I like going outside when it is entirely too cold, which I also love, to see full moons. I love little coffee shops. i love people who don't love Jesus. I love people who love Jesus. I attempt to love people who say they love Jesus, and probably do, but fight the wrong battles. The people who think they're serving the Kingdom by doing things God couldn't care less about.
Maybe that's a little harsh. Well, I'm offensive sometimes. Scratch that, I am offensive pretty often. but in reality, i have almost stopped caring. Almost. I am beyond over the majority of what i witness on a daily to weekly basis. I am beyond fed up with the majority of what I am surrounded by at the moment. Honestly, my dream is to move back to Portland. I wouldn't do that, but sometimes I wish i would. Here, all I see is people who cannot see past their own noses. Here, I see people who love Jesus, but can't figure out how to love people as Jesus loves people, much less loving them as they love themselves.
We hold ourselves to such lower standards than everyone else.
We would crucify gays if we could. I wouldn't. I would probably give gays the right to marry if I were king for a day. Why? because they're people. have you ever stood face to face with a lesbian and admitted your stance on gay marriage, even worse, your belief in God's pure hatred for it? I have. Would you like to know what the hardest thing I have EEEEEEEEVVVER had to do in life was? THAT. Gay people are PEOPLE, and we justify judgment by slapping a "contend for the faith" bumper sticker on our vehicle of self-righteousness. We don't get it. We just don't get it.
If God turns them over to their sin (Romans 1), why wouldn't we do the same? We aren't God, so why not just obey God and love them. We can't change them, but we can walk them to the cross. Who cares what they say when they get there, that's between them and Jesus. I mean.. I care, but I care more about my obedience and worship than theirs. Sue me for it. Maybe I'm just the kid who went away to college and got all led astray and such, but, last i checked, my university is no different than my childhood.
Speaking of, I am slowly moving toward libertarianism. I feel like the first person who reads this might alert the media and have me shot. I am trapped by conservatism. consumed. Republicans run rampant around my small little life. You people are everywhere. Can I just say God doesn't care about our party affiliations, but i can promise you, if you're staunch in your political stance and it interferes with your disciple making, He cares.
Jesus said greatness in the Kingdom is measured by how obedient you are in keeping and teaching His commands (Matt. 5:19). What would it look like if we stopped arguing over Rick Perry being the best republican candidate and hating on Obama and started loving people as Christ loves people? What if we stopped trying to shove more guilt in the face of a rape victim for choosing abortion and started loving her through it? Why forfeit her life because she couldn't handle the shame?
Yes, I am the most outrageous person ever if you say so. Yes, I am a lunatic. Yes, I am too tired to be blogging. Or maybe I'm onto something. Let's just grow together through our disagreements and let Jesus speak for Himself. I love you, whoever you may be, and I'd like you to know my life, though sometimes I won't reflect it, has been radically transformed by the man called Christ. Pride was shattered three years ago. please, i am begging you to let God have a chance. You will thoroughly enjoy the outcome.
Believer, Christ and the Spirit are currently interceding for us. Persevere in the face of trial. I love you. Grace and peace be multiplied to you by our Lord Jesus Christ. Know that I long for the Kingdom of God to be advanced beyond all else, and, though I may not have the best delivery, my heart is genuine.
ps... let's get off this little proverbs 31 movement. gnosticism has no place in the Church. I love you.
Bro, I couldn't agree more with what you're saying about loving others.
ReplyDeleteI've felt the same about those who absolutely hate people for their choices in life, and i think what it really boils down to is that they sometimes don't think about how the people that they are hating are still people lost in themselves, and without Christ they would very likely be in a similar place. Why should we expect the sick to act like anything other than the sick?
This goes for homosexuals, playboys, drug dealers, and embezzlers alike, we were all sinners when Christ died for us! Because we don't always remember that, we sometimes begin to do exactly what you described, when what we need to do is love them like Jesus does.
-matthew