He Gets Us

 “Jesus doesn’t Hate. He Gets Us.” The words filled the screen after the plethora of images of people washing other people’s feet. Then, the Internet blew up. “Heretics!!!” “He doesn’t condone sin!!!!” Did the ad say that he condoned sin? Did Jesus ignore and judge sinners or did he eat with them? Did he wash the feet of eleven, no ten, righteous disciples, or did he also wash the feet of Judas who betrayed him hours later and Peter who denied him three times hours later? Jesus loves everyone. He wants us to serve others to reveal the love that Jesus has for them. That’s where it BEGINS. 

“But they showed washing the feet of a woman outside an abortion clinic!!! Jesus wouldn’t do that!” So, your church would accept all sinners except women who have had an abortion? So, Jesus can’t forgive those who had abortions? Are you limiting the grace of Jesus? Does your church limit the love and grace of Jesus? I’ m not condemning those who have screamed, and I’m not condoning sin, but I am going to proclaim that those behind this campaign got it right this time. 

People get offended if you breathe wrong, so I’m done with people being offended. I got this because Jesus does get us. Some of you get ready because you will get offended. 

Jesus loves all of us with all the filthy sins that we obtain. I never understood why so many Christians expected people to clean up their lives on their own before they came to Jesus who forgives all sin. Jesus healed people when He walked on earth, but He also forgave their sins. Jesus came for the sinners not the righteous. Although Christians believe in the love and grace of Jesus, we struggle for sinners to walk into our presence and especially our churches. 

“You have to stop letting the BAD kids come to this youth group. Church is for the good kids whose parents come here.” Said the parent of one of my students in youth ministry whose kid wreaked havoc everywhere he went. I looked at her confused. I said something like, “Jesus wants all the children to come to him.” I then walked away disappointed and confused. My youth ministry just started reaching the kids in the community, and the righteous church goers didn’t want them. So, when I say getting fired was the best thing that happened to me, this was just one of those reasons. 

In my years of attending church, Lakewood Christian, Mosaic Church, and Eastside Christian have always allowed sinners to enter. They allow Jesus’s power to work. People don’t come to Jesus because they see Christian’s super righteous behavior or ideals. They come to Jesus because they experience His love. The only way people can experience the love of Jesus is through Christians demonstrating His love by serving them. 

We cannot limit who we serve. We cannot just serve the righteous. The Dream Center in Los Angeles has served anyone and everyone without any questions. The community around them changed for the better. The love of Jesus spread into the lives of people who many would deem undesirable. 

So here comes the righteous. “If we love them, then we tell them the truth.” That’s correct. Ephesians 4:15 informs us to speak the truth in love. We serve and wash their feet. Then, they see the love of Jesus. Missionaries told me people come to Jesus when they trust you. Trust takes time. For the people screaming, it’s taken many of us time to trust and love you. 

Others criticize those behind this campaign that the money could be spent on the poor. Don’t quote Judas. If you want money to go to the poor, give your money to the poor. This commercial reached people. It made people think. That’s why people screamed. We don’t want to serve. We want others to see our great righteousness, and then we become confused that they just see our flaws and sins. Let’s love with serving. 

Here’s the challenge. Rewatch the commercial. Find that person in your life that you need to wash their feet. Don’t lecture or give a sermon, just serve them and their needs. Then, watch Jesus do His work. Then, maybe you will see that, "He Gets Us." That is the true love. Now, have a Happy Valentine’s Day with chocolate and an attitude of humility to love. 

“Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, so not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a; CSB) 

Revisiting the New Year's Goals

 Th gyms have become empty which make me wonder how everyone is doing on their New Year goals. We have completed one whole month of the New Year. How are you doing on your goals? Did you set any goals? Did you create habits to reach your goals in the beginning of the month, and did not keep up with them toward the end of the month? Did you even start? Many people see the month of February as the month of love. We focus on loving others and doing kind things for others that we forget to focus on loving ourselves. Jesus even made it clear that we must love ourselves. 

When I grew up in the church, they tried to teach me that loving myself went against the Bible. When I went to Mosaic Church in Hollywood, Erwin McManus revealed to me an important part of the second greatest commandment. The first command is to love God. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30; CSB) We all strive to love God in all these areas. It’s the second command that many people struggle to read. “The second is, Love your neighbor AS YOURSELF.” (Mark 12:31; CSB) You cannot love others until you love yourself. 

Jesus lived in a society where people loved themselves. They understood how to love themselves. They struggled to love others. Today, we struggle with both of them because if we can’t love ourselves, how can we love others? Having goals and creating healthy habits to reach our goals are ways that we can love ourselves, which in turn becomes loving others. 

It may not be the first day of the New Year or even the first day of the second month, but it is a new day. Set goals for yourself and create daily habits that will push you towards your goals. This reveals just one way that you love yourself. When you can work towards your goals, you can help others in your life. When you get too busy helping others and forget about yourself, you become useless to both others and you. I know because I did that in youth ministry and my ministry and I struggled. 

People grow. When you stay stuck and think you can help others, the growth becomes stunted. When you grow, others around you see it, and they want to grow too. Find the time to work on your healthy habits. Take one thing away or spend less time on an unhealthy habit like mindlessly watching television or binge watching or social media or playing games on devices. These can all become my vices. I have discovered that with less time on my unhealthy habits and more time on my healthy habits, I have become better at reaching my goals. 

So, take the time to revisit your goals or make goals. Decide to grow in 2024 and work on creating healthy habits. You can always start fresh and new every day. God created each day for us. Let’s honor him with our time and habits to create a better life so others can see the love He has. When we love ourselves, we can love others, and that connects to God’s love.