Our calling as Christians is to love others. Love is what we are to be known for, our badge of distinction. We are specially called not to judge, show favoritism, gossip, or be prideful but to treat people equally with respect, regardless of race, gender, or economic status.
Religious wrongs happen when we substitute what God prioritizes as most important for what we do. Great mistakes are made when we replace God’s priority of loving people with loving laws.
1 Corinthians 13 tells us we can do great things, but without Love, they mean nothing. God does not expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to be kind. His greatest commandment is that we love Him and others above anything else.
Jesus turned our scorekeeping, judgemental and burdensome legalism on its head. Although Christ most resembled the religious sect with His obedience to the law, He disassociated Himself with the religion of the day because of what it had become—a heavy burden on others—a caste system that marginalized people instead of valuing them.
We, too, must be careful not to let religious law take away from loving others. The Bible is meant to change our hearts, not justify our positions. God’s Love empowers us to love one another. It saves us, changes us, and keeps us together.
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