Love: Pulling, Not Pushing
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matt. 22:37-40)
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (I Cor. 13:13)
The greatest thing is not a series of doctrines, or the Constitution, or the idea of freedom. It is not even the principle of Biblical supremacy. On the other hand, the greatest thing is not ecumenical unity and harmony or the absence of any definite doctrines. The greatest thing is love for God the Creator. Based on this love, we will automatically assume God's Word to be the governing Source for our lives. We will also respect civil contracts such as the U.S. Constitution, and we will treat each other according to principles of freedom.
In other words, God commands us to love Him alone. However, something which will come from a devotion to God is a love and compassion for those around us, which in turn requires respect for civil agreements, a basic standard for doctrine, and so on.
Freedom and God's Law cannot be crushed into anyone. Trying to force freedom is self-contradictory. We must first, love those around us and second, lead by example in supporting Biblical objects. We must talk and teach about Christ, but it will only be effective when we reflect a pure relationship to Him in our relationships to those around us. It is by this kind of passive direction that people are won to a Biblical framework, and ultimately to Christ Himself.
It has been said that if leadership could be described in the simplest possible way, it would be one word: OTHERS. "Others" means everyone we meet and see. Serving and loving those around us is the way leadership must work.
People should not have to agree with us in order for us to encourage them. Nor should we have to figure out what theological system they belong to in order for us to think how to influence them. Real influence is generally accomplished in a passing moment. People simply see something in an individual and decide that they want to imitate that quality.
Of course, there is no point in leading if you have no principles and no mission. This is why loving God is even more important than loving others. Because we love God, we must always stand for God's Word. A love which ignores God's principles is not love at all. It is merely an attempt to be accepted or noticed. If our hearts are in the right place, our lives will show sincere service and sacrifice. Then, people will be led to Christ through both our message and our ministry.
According to Scripture, the greatest need is for LOVE. Let's let ourselves shine for Christ by genuinely serving others.
by R. Josiah Magnuson, YCLA President
December 2007; updated September 2010