If You Want People To Know You Love God, Start by Loving People

If you know me, you may know that I’m always looking for threads in life, discussions, and more. It’s such a natural part of who I am at this point that I rarely think about it until the thread becomes so obvious that I realize there’s a theme I want to explore. Recently, a few friends mentioned how much they admire that I’m bold about my faith, and I appreciate the encouragement I received from them.

Recently, someone asked how she could be bolder at work - or at least less shy or fearful of sharing her faith - and I thought that was an interesting question. I gave her a brief answer, but as I thought about the question, several thoughts I’d like to share came to mind.

For those of us who believe in Jesus, the Bible is clear that we should make disciples. I do it, and in my world, that looks like spending time with others who trust me to help them grow closer to the Lord. It means loving them, and it also means celebrating with them, crying with them, and challenging them. Evangelism is amazing and important. Sometimes, I have opportunities to share the love of Jesus with many. More often, though, I have opportunities to love people well. In my experience, loving people even when it isn’t easy is one of the best ways to share the love of Jesus.

God’s heart is for people. When people know you love God, they need to know you love people, too. He’s a loving, generous, kind, faithful Father. The Bible says it’s his kindness that leads us to repentance. I didn’t decide to follow Jesus because of the mean-spirited condemnation from people claiming to love God on social media. Those people pushed me away from God, while his love, displayed through others, drew me to Him.

I chose to serve God because people in my life were patient, forgiving, and willing to share God’s truth wrapped in grace rather than judgment.

As Christians, I’m convinced that we need to spend less time being surprised and scrutinizing the sins of those who aren’t serving God and more time helping people understand that God loves them and desires to heal the broken parts of their lives. I want them to know that there’s hope because he took the mangled, chaotic life I had created for myself and replaced it with healing and peace. I want them to know that God is merciful, and I know it because I was offered so much mercy. So, let’s start by helping them discover the mercy we received through Christ.