ON THE VANGUARD

A LIFE OF LOVE
“…and live a life of love, just as also the Messiah loved us, indeed, on our behalf gave himself up as an offering, as a slaughtered sacrifice to God with a pleasing fragrance.”
Ephesians 5:2

I woke up this morning and looked at my living room. I just recently moved, and while a great deal of the boxes had been unpacked already, a few are still laying around the apartment. In addition to the empty boxes are pictures not yet hung, shelves not yet placed on the walls, and cluttered masses of trinkets and such taking up space on the dining room table. The reason for all this is based on the fact that I have a couple of friends coming over today to give me decorating advice. It isn’t that I don’t know how to hang a picture or such, but that my friends and I have both agreed I would like my place to look more like a home verses another bachelor pad. So the question for them today is simply, how would you decorate this place?
This question posed to my friends is in essence the same question I wrote about yesterday. I want my life to be decorated the way God sees fit. In order for that to happen, I have to question of Him what He would do. I can take a stab in the dark and perform the way I feel He would, just as easily as I can hang a picture. But what I do, just as where I put the picture, may not be the best. It is for this reason I want to know what Jesus would do. I want to know how He would act and react in situations. If I want my life to mirror His, then I need to question and study the One I am working to mirror.
Yesterday we looked at Ephesians 5:1 where we read that we should work to imitate God. Today in looking at the next verse to follow, we see that one of the ways we can imitate Him and do what He would do is in love. We are to live a life of love and imitate His actions. This one can be hard because as a human I do not always want to love people. Truth be told, I am in a constant battle against my lack of desire to be an extrovert. Having been hurt and rejected by people who I trusted, it is easier for me to put up walls and live my hermit lifestyle. But this is one area specifically where I find myself asking, “What would Jesus do?” Yes there are scriptures that point to Jesus secluding Himself, but in each of those instances it was to get away for times of refreshing and prayer. His reason for being alone is not the same reason I do it. And if I want to follow His example, I feel I must work to step outside of my fears.
I must give myself as an offering to Him. I must be willing to invest myself in the pattern of what He would do. I am reminded of the banner that stands on the wall over the exit door of the church I attend. It reads, “Invest, Invite, Include.” It is a simple message. It is a message stating exactly what Jesus did. And it is a message that challenges me if I want to walk in His ways. I must love others enough to invest myself in them and Christ did, giving of Himself constantly. I must love others enough to invite them into my home, to my church, to my friendship, just as Christ did. And I must love them enough to include them in the patterns and steps of the Father, again as Christ did.
So concerning the way I act, in asking “What would Jesus do,” I am confident that He would love others. And Does not I John 4:18 remind us that there is no fear in love, for perfect love drives out fear? Jesus would, and did, live a life of love. This is the lifestyle I want to mimic. This is what I am certain that Jesus would do. And this is what I am challenging myself to do over the next month. I can hang a picture and I can love my friends, but if I want to mirror Christ I have to seek His will and open myself to loving all people.