They will know we are Christians by our Love…

I use to be a waitress at a restaurant called “Eat-N-Park” when I was 16-years-old.  All my readers from Washington know this “Hot Spot” all too well.  It is a chain but kinda feels like a local diner.  Anyways, I worked with a lot of professional waitresses that had been at this same restaurant for over 10 years!  You know the type; a little rough around the edges, but a great big heart!   I remember no one wanted to work on Sundays.  This was not because these women really cared about “the day of rest” or church or anything like that.  It was because the after-church crowd would come in, run the waitresses to death, and then leave a 10% tip at best.  This use to disgust me and it still does.  As Christians, we should be the best tippers out there!  And we wonder why the world hates Christians.  Hate to break it to the self-righteous, but they don’t hate us because we are standing for Christ (this would be a good thing); they hate us because we preach and preach and preach and then can’t even practice the number one commandment of Christ: love others and love God (Matt. 22:36-40).  If we as Christians boss our waitress around and then leave her a bad tip; what do you think that waitress is going to think of Christians??? Do I even have to say?

The Bible is clear that if we do not have LOVE in us; we are not Christians at all.  Sure, some may be posers and “talk the talk” with all their ”hallelujah’s” and “Amen’s,” but if they don’t walk the walk of love; Christ does not live in them.  You know what I always find ridiculous?  Christians who focus all their energies on not drinking, swearing, or smoking but then gossip, slander, and treat others with disrespect!  Christians like this need to take the blindfolds off their eyes and read God’s Word for what it really says and not what they want it to say.

There is a song that I have always liked that says, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”  First of all who is “They?”  “They” is the world and everyone who lives in it.  As Christians, we need to let our light shine bright for all to see.  The way in which our light shines is through love and joy in a dark world full of hate and depression.  Sadly, many of us Christians too have so much hate in our hearts and selfishness that wins the battle over love.  We are called to be different from the rest of the world! We are not only told to love our friends, but also our enemies!  Jesus Himself said, “Even the worst of sinners love their friends, but you are called to love your enemies; only then are you truly different (Luke 6:27-36).

The amazing thing about being a Christian is that we are one family!  No matter if we live on different sides of the world; we are still one!  We as believers should be recognizable by how much we love others, despite how they treat us.  Waiters and Waitresses should be requesting to work Sundays because that is when the Christians come to eat and they are so kind and leave great tips!  We should be known for our love and generosity!

p.s. please don’t put any Christian stickers on your car if you have road rage! But seriously!