by Larry Wu
As LBC members, we are required to follow the MVP statement. Our passion statement is Matthew 22:37-40, which says, “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” The word “neighbor” in Greek means any other man irrespective of nation or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet. What does it mean to love your neighbor? We as Christian should be known by love, but what does this mean?
During the summer, we had the blessing as singles to spend time with collegians and youths. We also had the special privilege to listen to sermons from our singles staffers. The sermon by Kevin Tse “Loving Diligently” helped us understand what our passion statement really means. “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 9:9-11). There were three points to Kevin’s sermon: 1) You must love genuinely; 2) You must love familial-ly; 3) You must love diligently.
To love genuinely is to love sincerely without hypocrisy. This means that you are not loving someone because of favoritism or expecting what they can do for you. This love means that we must self-sacrifice and put their interest above ourselves. To love familial-ly is to love between believers. This is where believers have a special relationship with each other by showing humility and grace. To love diligently is to love people you don’t socialize with. To socialize with the one that is difficult to love, one that doesn’t fit a friend mold or even totally the opposite of who you are. This love is the love Jesus showed the world, and we should strive to imitate this love to the outside world.
As we have opportunities to know other affinity groups, we should be asking ourselves: Do I only socialize with my own affinity group? Am I trying to know other affinity groups? As I deeply reflect in my soul and on the message, I am pushing myself to give that extra love to someone else that I don’t know right now or other affinity groups. As we meet difficult people to love, it is during these trials that we can find our love for God shining in the ways to love them. You will be surprised by the love you can provide and the spiritual growth you gain.