GK Chesterton said–“The way to love anything is to realize it may be lost.”

But can we lose something we love if we have never loved it in the first place, if we have never looked around our own daily walk?

Or how can we lose something we love if we have never stretched out our hand to demonstrate love toward another person—toward someone who may just be hurting way down deep in his heart?

Or how can we lose something we love if we have never reached out to another who just may be continually walking through life right beside us within our daily walk?

Truly, we are given the Word of God, the Bible, spoken through God Himself—His Word given to help us understand how to LOVE OTHERS.

“Then He [Jesus Christ] said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven…” (Luke 7:48).

“Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50).

In this world, each day, we have opportunities to love—those who surround us—to love those “lovable ones” who come so easily beside us.  Loving the lovable is so easy.

What do the lovable look like (in our eyes)?
Our Spouse.
Our Children.
Our Siblings.
Our Parents.
Our Families.
Our Close Friends.

The lovable, we have no trouble “loving” them, but what about the others?  What do the “others” look like”

What do the lovable look like (in Jesus’ eyes)?
The co-worker—The one who we had harsh words or harsh thoughts about for the last two weeks?
The driver—The one who we see every morning on the highway, OR The one who constantly drives slowly, turning our 18-minute commute into a 23-minute drive?
The person–The one that we pass every day as we head into work, who has a story to tell, but a story we do not know because we have not stopped to listen?

There are so many people in the world, too many to count, for sure.  We can become so tunnel-visioned that we forget to look around us; yet, it is a truth—The world surrounding us is full of people who are hurting.  In fact, on this day, when many of us may attend church, we could (in our haste) just quickly pass beside one of those people who are hurting today—The one who Jesus wants us to see today, the one He would have us “LOVE.”

• The person who sits close to us in church who is struggling within his marriage. 
• The person across the sanctuary who has been struggling with addiction issues and is so ashamed because he believes that he is the only one present who struggles like this.
• The preacher who stands before the congregation, who strives to follow God’s leading but who has a family struggle that seems at times overwhelming.
• The Sunday School classmate who sits across from us and who “appears” to be in complete control of everything, but who struggles mightily with feelings of failure, of doubts, and of even anger (at times), yes anger at how his life-goals are not unfolding as he purposefully planned them to go.
• The one sitting beside us in church who just received a diagnosis from the doctor, news that just seems to almost cause his knees to buckle and news that the people sitting around him just don’t yet know because he is just not sure if he can survive sharing the heaviness of the news just yet.

There are so many people hurting in this world, and truth be told, we often easily overlook them because we quickly pass by them….every day.
There are so many people struggling in this world, and truth be told, we often overlook them because we quickly place them out of our minds, even though they are there….every day.

The Bible instructs us in these words–“God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

IT IS A TRUTH—GOD IS OUR HELP, OUR STRENGTH, AND OUR REFUGE—In our times of trouble.

IT IS A TRUTH—GOD PLACES OTHERS SURROUNDING US, THOSE WHO WE ARE ABLE TO HELP (through God’s strength and provisions).

IT IS A TRUTH—GOD PLACES OTHERS SURROUNDING US, THOSE WHO COULD NEED A PLACE TO BE (a refuge) WHERE THEY COULD SPEND THIS ONE SINGLE DAY.

Jesus demonstrated for us what LOVE looks like, how we are to put HIS LOVE into action, into Our Actions. 

• We never need to wonder how LOVE looks within our world; we only need to look around us and see those who are hurting.
• We never need to wonder how LOVE looks within our world; we only need to look around us and see those who are struggling.
• We never need to wonder how LOVE looks within our world; we only need to look around us and see those who feel like failures, who are walking scared, and who just don’t know where to turn for help. 

Danny Gokey sings a beautiful melody “Make a Difference.”  The lyrics within this melody are repeated over and over:

“Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to work/

Let’s get to…!!!

We can make a difference [within the lives of all those who surround us every single day].”

• Let Us Not Be Reclined as the man (the temple going Pharisee) was in the Bible, like the man found in Luke 7: 44-50.
• Let Us Not Be Unconcerned for others, but only concerned for how WE may look to the world.
• BUT Let us, YES, Let Us Be More Like the Woman in the World Who (too) Was A Sinner.
• BUT Let us, YES, Let Us Pour Out God’s Sweet-Smelling Perfume Onto Others Who Surround Us.
• BUT Let us, YES, Let Us LOVE Like Jesus Christ, Himself, Taught Us to Love.

IT IS A TRUTH—GOD PLACES OTHERS SURROUNDING US WITHIN OUR PATH, THOSE WHO WE ARE ABLE TO HELP (through God’s strength and provisions) &

IT IS A TRUTH—GOD PLACES OTHERS SURROUNDING US WITHIN OUR PATH, THOSE WHO COULD NEED A PLACE TO BE (a refuge) WHERE THEY COULD SPEND THIS DAY.