Am I saying to only be nice to those who follow Jesus? Of course not! We must reach out to those who do not know Him, and let them see what they are missing! Our job is to lift up Jesus through our words and our actions, so others can see Him through us.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. (John 3:14)
We are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are to love those who do not yet follow Him. But we don’t treat them the same way. We are to live in Christian fellowship and love with believers – we live out our faith to the rest of the world, and show love to those lost in the world, without loving the world that they are lost in.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)
We discriminate by showing those without God more patience, more kindness, more forgiveness. Remember, "they know not what they do"! Our fellow believers are family – family doesn’t treat each other the same as non-family. There is a special kind of love there, but there is also a level of familiarity and openness that is different.
I can be completely myself - unguarded - among my family. Whether it’s doing a silly dance, passing out needed discipline, or maybe just passing gas... When visitors come to visit, everyone “is on their best behavior”. A visitor wouldn’t understand the inner workings of our family, because they are not part of the family!
Our job is to discriminate with those outside the family of Christ. Treat them as special guests! And always show them the way to the Head of the Household – the First and Last, Alpha and Omega, King of Kings!
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
#LoveMatters