Love is Life and Failure to Love is Failure to Live in Christ

Jesus answered,

“Love the Lord your God…….

’Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

~Matthew 22: 37, 39

Failure to love is failure to live in Christ is intended to shed light on our calling to be the “Light of the World”, emblem of love and imitator of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, and the implications of failing to love others, propagating hatred and trying to justify such in the pretense of achieving a false security that is not rooted in God!  Love is life, because God is life!

I am a Christian, married in the Catholic Church and saved by the precious blood of my Lord Jesus Christ who I confessed as my Savior and the Son of the living God!

I am a father, husband and son, a friend, benefactor and a human being. I am a medical scientist by trade.

I am from a large family where different faiths converged; some are Christians, others Muslims and some others practice the African way of worshiping God and the other minorities claimed not to belong to any.

In spite of this diversity, my family thrives not based on individualism, but simply through the power, might and strength, and the bond of love that emanates from the commonality that we have similar ancestral origin and takes pride in our family.

We see ourselves as human beings first and foremost before discriminating on the basis of religion, education, wealth, status, height and complexion! This is the kind of philosophy and tradition that I have come to cherish as a person, and therefore it hurts when I see people of God manipulate circumstances to their own egocentric. A typical example that continued to rear its ugly head is the denigration of anything Muslim in this great country, called the United States of America!

Without making excuses for those who used religion to propagate their nefarious, inimical and inhumane ideological inclinations which have led to countless violence, death and destruction of properties and even make us to question the idealism of the sanctity of life, the “eye for an eye” philosophy will only make the entire world blind, because it is neither a solution nor does it emanate from our Christian belief.

As a Christian we are challenged today, just like yesterday and in the times of the Apostles of Christ Jesus Our Lord on earth, to act in a fashion that Jesus Christ will be manifested in our lives and that implies, but not limited to loving our neighbors as ourselves, even if these neighbors are perceived as enemies or they really do not look like us!

HOW WE FAIL

The worst kinds of people in the world are those who used the name of God for their selfish aim.

As a Christian;

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by promoting racism, and hateful discrimination and dichotomy on the basis of religion,

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by refusing to help strangers,

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by advocating a culture of death: war, abortion and legalized killing and suicide

We fail to initiate Jesus Christ by refusing to home the homeless

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by refusing to help the poor and vulnerable

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by refusing to help refugees, and pretending they are criminals, killers and evil

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by refusing to see the image of God in other people that look different

We fail to imitate Jesus Christ by keeping silence in the face of injustices, lynching and inhumanity.

I believe Christianity is not our problems.

I be Islam is not our problems either.

I believe Judaism is not our problems.

I believe Hinduism is not our problems either.

I believe that religion is not the root cause of the problems being witnessed nowadays, rather the lack of it.

Our fundamental problems originate from the lack of God and therefore love in our lives. 

Every religious belief is intended to draw us closer to the almighty, superior and supernatural being- God, who in his infinite wisdom created us in his image and likeness.

WOLF AS SHEPHERD

When a Pastor acting under the conviction of being a Christian preaches hatred against those who may not know Jesus Christ, that individual is engaged in his own agenda.

When a Pastor encourages the government not to help non- Christian, that individual is serving his individualism and doesn't speak for Jesus Christ, who offers salvation to all men.

When a Pastor encourages his fellows to direct their passion toward hating the sinners, unbelievers and the forgotten, rather than challenge them to love thy neighbor’s as thyself, irrespective of the culture, religion and orientation of these people, he is not serving Jesus Christ, but dancing to popular sentiments and the opportunity to keep his congregation hooked to his charm.

When a pastor keep silence after other minority pastors and people of God are killed in America; for instance in Charleston South Carolina where a young Christians American massacred nine faithful inside the church and yet attempt to make the loudest noise when a Muslim killed a priest in France, we send the wrong message to the world, namely it seems it is okay to kill people as long as you are a Christian in America.

Woe to those pastors that preach hate instead of love, despair instead of hope and doubts instead of faith through their words, thoughts and actions!

Woe to those pastors that preach discrimination and advocate dichotomy of people based on religion, race and socio-economic status.

Woe to the pastors that preach Jesus Christ in a way that only enhance their personal agenda, but leave their followers hungry and thirsty for justice, love and compassion, for mercy, forgiveness and humility

By and large, we lose Jesus Christ whenever we lose to love our neighbors and there lays our problems.

In a nutshell, whenever we are challenged to love, but chose hatred instead, faced with hope, but choose despair and instead of faith, choose to doubt God's infinite power, might and love to make everything good again, we fail to imitate Jesus Christ!

OUR SALVATION

We failed time and again, and as a final remedy, our God send his only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to die for us and pave way for our eternal salvation.

Unfortunately, some of us used this path to salvation for our egocentric, selfish and sometimes inimical agendas that are not in line with God's quest for our salvation and those of the world.

True security is therefore rooted in the conviction that our actions and inaction must be guided by the love of God and the love of our neighbors. We must offer our challenges to God, pray and act in a way that bring out the light of Jesus Christ in us and not the evil or darkness of the unbelievers.

If we desire to be safe and secured, it is contingent upon us to accept our limitations and in the same light completely turn to God for divine intervention; the same who is not limited by anything under the Sun.

LET US PRAY

Dear heavenly Father, our Lord and God,

You promised the prophet Jeremiah saying,

“Though they fight against you, they shall not prevail for I am with you to deliver and rescue you.”

Today we ask for your divine protection.

Please give us your wisdom, knowledge and understanding, so that we can handle the uncountable challenges that faces us every day; violence, death, war, hatred, hunger, homelessness, and inhumanity.

Touch our hearts today, that your love may find its dwelling among us

Offer us your protection and grant us the grace of your mercy.

And above all, help us to see the shortness of life on earth and the eternity to come and therefore be guided by your love, hope and faith.

O Lord our God thank you, as we offer our limitations to you and thank you for your steadfastness and infinite love through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ref: Mathew 22, Jeremiah 15,

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