When my son got married a few months ago, his bride asked if I would read a scripture and say a prayer during the ceremony. Anyone who has been to a wedding (OR watched the movie ‘Wedding Crashers’), knows it’s not a wedding without a reading from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. In chapter 13, Paul stated what love is and what love is not. He wrote that love endured forever and was the greatest of all human qualities. Love is an attribute of God Himself and is the action that binds together all of creation. The root problem with all of the sexual harassment charges in America today is a lack of love for anyone other than themselves.
Most everyone professes to believe the Golden Rule is at least a good idea. Christians know it stems from a command. “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.'” Matthew 22:37-38. The world wants to disconnect faith and everyday actions and activities including how we treat and love each other. You can’t practice the Golden Rule for long if you don’t have love in your heart. Morality and civil behavior derive from a heart and faith issue that dictate how you treat others. Americans have allowed themselves and their leaders to successfully separate the two.
Today’s sexual harassment headlines reveal the result is a disease that has spread far and wide. The disease is sin and it effects everyone on the planet. Politicians, musicians, artists, journalists, your boss and co-workers. A lack of love manifests in pedophilia, harassment and rape. The headlines will not get better without an everyday practice of your faith. The Word of God identifies how to solve the problem and spot the symptoms.
The core issue is love of self above love for others. Men and women are living for themselves, for today and not tomorrow. In Christianese, people put the desires of the flesh ahead of the Spirit and those desires manifest in the actions of today’s headlines. In Galatians, Paul reminded us that actions reveal desires. “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like…” Galatians 5:19-21. Does that description fit anyone you know or have read about lately? It’s easy to see the issue is a deeper spiritual and faith based problem.
The headlines can make us quick to judge based on our thoughts and feelings because it is difficult to obtain the facts. Jesus warned about judging others and pointed out why it can be so precarious. “Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged…Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5. Christ wasn’t prone to exaggeration but He made the case that when we see people’s failures, we need to look in our own hearts first.
The lack of love we see today is like a wildfire out of control. When you look at the fires in Bel-Air and Los Angeles, it resembles a Hollywood movie about the end of the world. I’ll use love as my barometer for what the end of the world looks like. “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness but denying it’s power. Have nothing to do with them.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5. We need to re-establish our capacity and ability for loving others and there is only one place to start.
Christ followers have a purpose and a responsibility that effects all creation AND today’s headlines. Jesus didn’t leave any wiggle room for interpretation. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35. Some days you wonder where are the disciples of Jesus? You can find them by the the way we think, feel and talk about the most egregious violators in the news.
“This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” 1st John 3:11. Democrats and Republicans, first time AND repeat offenders. That’s how the world will know where your heart and mind reside. Besides, it comes with a promise. “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1st Peter 4:8. “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs.” Proverbs 10:12. We can all use a little more coverage for our wrongs.
So, where do you go when tomorrow’s headlines stir up apathy, disdain or hatred for the accused person or party? Some common sense goes a long way. “…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19. But, even if I keep my mouth shut, ignore what’s going on and don’t get ticked off “…but have not love, I gain nothing.” 1st Corinthians 13:3. Our world needs to stop losing ground and start gaining some yardage back.
As the old R&B hit by Maze says, ‘love is the key.’ Rediscovering GOD’S love is the key to changing the world. Christians must lead the Way by returning to their ‘first love’ and living out their professed faith.