Radical love...the only way to live.

As a believer in The Lord Jesus Christ, and more importantly as a disciple there is only one way to live. What does it all boil down to? How do you sum up the life of the believer in the unseen, uncreated God? Radical love. Why not just love? Jesus loved in the most extreme way. He laid down His very life unto dying a radical death on a cross in order to prove that love was not measured by our ability to earn or measure up to, but solely in the mercy and grace of the blood of the Lamb of God. Therefore we are also called to lay down our lives for one another.

Jesus was unique in the way He loved as He walked the earth. He brought forth a new reality in a time when love was not the norm, especially loving the poor, broken, destitute, and rejected of His day. He showed His disciples the way of the kingdom. Not only would they have power to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast off demons; but they would have power to love in a way they had never known before. In essence their ministry would be measured by love, not just power. They would struggle to learn the way of humility and love. Who wouldn't want to be powerful and able to perform amazing miracles? It wasn't power that Jesus was after, it was genuine and sincere love. The disciples would struggle with wanting to be great in their own strength and abilities.

Who signs up to love in the most radical, sincere, committed ways? Not many. Love requires deep sacrifice and a different way of living entirely. Radical love for each other requires laying down all pride and arrogance and embracing humility, meekness, grace,long suffering, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and peace. Imagine if we were to live this way in our families, churches, neighbors, and cities. Entire families, churches, cities, and nations would be changed. The world would be changed. This is what I have signed up for. I am on a quest to learn to love in a radical ordinary way. I want my life to be measured by love and compassion and not just what I accomplished.