You Must
I like to carve out a few free nights a month to play Trivia in pubs and restaurants. Granted I’m not some general information savant, nope I’m very selective. Movies, music, tv, and all things 1990’s are where I shine the brightest. I’ve played in dark low ceiling pubs with twenty people all the way to a large ballroom in a Las Vegas casino against hundreds of living breathing Google Search Bars disguised as humans. I’ve played on a team of twelve strangers squeezed around a table for six and I’ve been a member to one of the most dominant quartets to ever answer questions on the Gulf Coast. At the end of the night there’s a certificate to cover half of our tab and hours of conversations that have added up to years of relationships as long as a decade or as temporary as a 2-hour game and I cherish each of them.
When I think about the 12 disciples, I like to think about what each of them brought to their team. Peter, brought a bold and sometimes overconfident self-assurance that led the others forward. Philip was wise in some areas but knew to defer to the stronger members when he was out of his element. And of course there’s Thomas, probably shooting down a good guess because he’s “not so sure.” Regardless of their strengths and weaknesses, Jesus brought all of them to the table and loved each one. I’ve always held his last command to them at The Last Supper as the beacon to guide me in my life, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34” My favorite part is the “must.” Nonnegotiable, don’t care what you think about them, doesn’t matter what they do or look like, doesn’t matter if they know how many instruments Prince could play: You MUST love one another. When we love each other, we are closer to what He wants from us.
Your challenge this week is to see the “others” you keep at an arms or football fields length away in your life and find a way to love them as Christ loves them: greet them, open your heart, and serve them. You can use your faith in action to bring glory to the kingdom of God and a blessing to you both. Love one another. You MUST!
P.S. - It’s 27