Written by John Warden, a contemporary pastor and writer.
How should my life (words, actions and decisions) reflect my relationship and pursuit of Christ? If a person is walking with God on the inside, then their life (words, decisions, and actions done out of obedience to God) should reflect a distinct character on the outside. The perfect expression of God’s love for others is found in the person of Jesus. Jesus is our benchmark! Jesus does not require anything from us that He did not already live out in His own person and life. The command to love one another and to love our neighbor as ourselves were given and modeled by Jesus and commanded of His followers… We learn from the biographies of Jesus (the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that all people were accepted and loved, especially those at the bottom of the social pyramid—poor people, women, outcasts, lepers, children, prostitutes, and tax collectors. Jesus is the perfect model of loving your neighbor as yourself. Why should Christians have an active heart for serving the poor? Because of Jesus, the perfect standard by which we live The overflow of Jesus’s love for the Father was a life in constant service to others. Our overflow and love for the Father (our seeking to conform to the character of Christ) should also result in a life of service and love to others… A life living in Christ is a life that loves and serves others. A service to the poor that listens, loves, encourages, respects and helps those in your midst—especially those from the bottom of the social class. This is the heart of Jesus and should be our heart as well as we seek to live in fellowship with Him.
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. [1 John 2:6]
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