How do I love the way Jesus loves?

The Weak and the Strong!

As I read Chapter 14 of Romans ESV (English Standard Version), I've realised that the way I see things and others have been so wrong!

Anyone who is different to me in their ways I add them to a mental list of "Weirdo's". If Someone who loves to pig out on lots of junk food I see as someone who lacks "self-control" and one who has the spirit of gluttony (noun, habitual greed or excess in eating) and are people I must stay far from because I may learn their disgusting habits [which in fact is truth].

After reading these verses:

"20Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats."


I'm convinced by these verses that whoever has no problem or no guilt in eating in excess but knows those who have a problem with it and strive to be healthier to honour God yet ignore this and eat junk food that tempts the person who's trying to be healthy isn't acting out in love but in self indulgence.

This is my thought, there are many times I've eaten stuff I shouldn't have in-front of those who are striving to be healthier and therefore as God's child, I am not acting out in love.

Other verses that caught my attention are:

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

1As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

 2One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master^a that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

10Why do you pass judgment on your brother? [how many times have we judged others for their difference of opinion?]Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess^b to God.”

12So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Do Not Cause Another to Stumble

13Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

 21It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.^c 22The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.^d

So from these verses, I need to be careful with what I eat infront of others as this truly a love act. 

A Hidden Tip of Evangelism

New International Version

LUKE 19

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Zacchaeus - the tax-collector from haiseng on GodTube.

It's amazing reading this story. Why? Because we read how Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus  home. Jesus obviously knew Zacchaeus was up the sycamore-fig tree. 

This teaches me that sometimes, actions are better than words. I wondered why on earth did Jesus invite himself to Zacchaeus home, it's so uncomfortable to to this but then deep thinking has revealed (probably Holy Spirit inspired) that sometimes we need to use our will and go out to reach out to those who no matter how hard they try to find salvation, they are always blocked by something or someone. 

However, these certain people are like Zacchaeus, he didn't give up, and climbed a Sycamore tree to get what he wanted.

He was determined, he kept trying, he kept persevering and Jesus saw and when Jesus invited himself, Zacchaeus happily or 'gladly' welcomed Jesus. 

There seems to be various messages here:
- For all the Zacchaeus's  out there; don't give up, keep seeking, keep trying, keep climbing, keep going ahead to see, keep going.

- For the shepherds: recognise the Zacchaeus's, and go to them just as Jesus did. If you don't and they are not saved, their blood will be on your hands. Take the initiative to show them Jesus love; be creative; even if others judge you it doesn't matter. If one soul matters to Jesus, than it's sure worth taking the initiative and going out to these seeking people. 

 [take out time to share/show love: via coffee, dinner, fishing, or sport, a place of comfort, secure, no interruptions].

The end result will be wonderful. 

Sheep will ALWAYS follow the shepherd. So if we see ourselves as a shepherd, then expect the sheep to follow you/us. We should NEVER push them away or have an attitude of reluctance and not caring...saying we love the Sheep is one thing. Showing we love the sheep is another thing. 

Shepherds could be Pastors, Church Leaders, Evangelists, Missionaries.

Nugget Net Review

We/I must always keep in mind that people are not stupid, and don't like to be treated like they are. I know what it's like to show love and mean it. And to say 'I love' and not mean it. 

Saying:  "I love ....." and not visit them, not make time out for them, get annoyed when an attempt is made and expecting them (seekers/unbelievers searching for truth) to call when no contact details have been exchanged isn't love. 

Like I said before, people will feel the reluctant atmosphere leaked out by the one who doesn't want to make an attempt to reach out or to show they care. 

People are not stupid (some may lack commonsense), however, those who genuinely care will act it out and people will see and know when someone says they care and they love and mean it.  
Those who don't care, will just say words...empty words. Words that fall to the ground and get blown by the wind. 

So we need to show the world love, not the worldly love but the love Jesus speaks about in 1 Corinthians 13:7

True Love

Love like Jesus, not as the world

Let LOVE guide, don't let the flesh rule your thoughts which results in empty words.

Meaning of Sycamore tree:

Dictionaries - Easton's Bible Dictionary - Sycamore

Sycamore [N] [S]

more properly sycomore (Heb. shikmoth and shikmim, Gr. sycomoros), a tree which in its general character resembles the fig-tree, while its leaves resemble those of the mulberry; hence it is called the fig-mulberry (Ficus sycomorus). At Jericho, Zacchaeus climbed a sycomore-tree to see Jesus as he passed by ( Luke 19:4 ). This tree was easily destroyed by frost ( Psalms 78:47 ), and therefore it is found mostly in the "vale" (1 Kings 10:27 ; 2 Chr 1:15 : in both passages the RSV has properly "lowland"), i.e., the "low country," the shephelah, where the climate is mild. (Amos 7:14 ) refers to its fruit, which is of an inferior character; so also probably ( Jeremiah 24:2 ). It is to be distinguished from our sycamore (the Acer pseudo-platanus), which is a species of maple often called a plane-tree.

Sycamore Tree

A personal lesson I've learnt is that there are those who go to Jesus to hear his word, and there are those special people who are seeking and are blocked by those first lot of people, these special people Jesus makes sure he acknowledges them and they receive him with a glad heart. 

So let's not be the people who block the salvation of others. The first lot of people had their backs to Zacchaeus, they seemed too busy, too busy focusing on Jesus, they forgot their brother whom they judged (clearly seen in the end of Luke 19) and called him a sinner. 

But Jesus showed him love, acceptance, time, grace, mercy and acknowledged him with listening ears. 

The people called Zacchaeus a 'sinner', Jesus called him a 'son of Abraham'. 

The people's judgemental words proved that they thought they were better than Zacchaeus, but Jesus recognised his worth and went and ate with him. 

The people became jealous. How? When they labelled/muttered that Zacchaeus a sinner.

No wonder Jesus went to Zacchaeus home and ate with him and called him a son of Abraham, because he was the only person at that time with a 'contrite' heart. Jesus KNOWS. 

Luke 16: 15
He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight.