"At the zenith of His mortal ministry, Jesus said, 'Love one another, as I have loved you." To make certain they (His listeners) understood exactly what kind of love that was, He said, 'If ye love me, keep my commandments' and "whosever shall break one of (the) least commandments, and teach men so, he shall be ... the least of heaven.' Christlike love is the greatest need we have on this planet in part because righteousness was always supposed to accompany it. So if love is to be our watchword, as it must be, then by the word of Him who is love personified, we must forsake transgression and any hint of advocacy of it in others. Jesus clearly understood what many in our modern culture seem to forget: that there is a crucial difference between the commandments to forgive sin (which He had an infinite capacity to do) and the warning against condoning it (which He never ever did even once)."--Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quroum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
I had to read this quote several times through to understand it. Finally, I think I got it. Christ was and is all about love. But that does not negate His directive to do right. If, in our attempts to love, we make the mistake of condoning sin, then we are not following Him.
In our current world, it is unfashionable, even condemned, to say "That's wrong." We fear offending someone if we stand up for the truth. I am guilty of this. I don't want others to think less of me if I stand up for what is true, for what is righteous.
And isn't that sad? Do I value the opinon of others more than I do the words of the Lord? Apparently so. All I can say is that I'm trying to do better.
Joy for today: understanding that loving does not mean condoning what is wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment