A few months ago I was sitting at my desk at work and thinking about something that I could share as a challenge for the 4th and 5th grader I serve at my church. As I was thinking about it there was something in the news or that I scrolled by on Facebook that led me to say the phrase “why can’t people just let love guide their life?!” Then I got to thinking about it a little more and I said to myself “that’s to good to be my own saying... I wonder if it’s in the Bible?” So I opened up google right then and googled the phrase “let love guide your life” and this is the first result Google brought up...
“Most of all, let love guide your life.” - Colossians 3:14 TLB
I was amazed and what God just did there in my office. God had given me my word for 2020.
L O V E.
But as I got thinking about over the last month, this wasn’t something that God had given as much as He was reminding me of the word. But God was also reminding me of command that we see in the book of Matthew where love is the main reason for everything that Jesus did and Jesus commands us to love.[1]
This world today is in a desperate state and in need of a shot of love. We don’t have to look very far to see what I mean. The world needs love so bad and I am not the first to say it. Jesus obviously knew what the world needed and that is why He said that love is the key. Jesus wasn’t saying anything against the rules and guidelines of the Bible, but Jesus did say that love is the key.[1]
But there has also been many a song that states how desperate the world is for love with lyrics like:
“What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.”[2]
The Black Eyed Peas offered this question:
“People killin' people dyin'
Children hurtin', I hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preachin'?
Would you turn the other cheek again?
Mama, mama, mama, tell us what the hell is goin' on
Can't we all just get along?
Father, father, father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me
Questioning
(Where's the love)”[3]
These words of just these 2 songs are very telling that this is not a new problem. Also, this is the main thing of the Bible. In the NIV version of the Bible the word “love” appears 551 times. It’s all that Jesus talked about. It’s all Jesus was about.
We see in the Gospels of the New Testament[4] that Jesus let love guide His life from beginning to end. Jesus was always showing love. Always. He never let anything else be in the drivers seat.
So I ask you and myself - what if we chose to just let love take over the drivers seat. What if we chose to show love? What if instead of flying off the handle when someone makes us made we chose to show love? What if we chose to show love in our workplaces, in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our stores, in our homes, in our families, and with our friends.
What kind of differences could me make by just letting love have the wheel of our life?
So in 2020, for me, I’m going to do my best to remember the words “let love guide your life”. I hope you will too!
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[1] “Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””
Matthew 22:37-40 NIV
[2] Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Burt F. Bacharach / Hal David
What the World Needs Now Is Love lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network
google.com search
[3] Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Allan Pineda / Giorgio Hesdey Tuinfort / Jaime Gomez / Jayceon Taylor / Justin Timberlake / Khaled Khaled / Rakim Mayers / Will Adams
Where Is the Love? lyrics © BMG Rights Management
google.com search
[4] The Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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