But really, they are the church. They’re just the lost members of the church; those needing to be found.

Love often determines our priorities. Actually, love always determines our priorities. The reason we sleep in instead of going to the gym to work out is because we love sleep or laziness more than we love getting in shape or being healthy.

Sometimes in our love for Jesus, we get busy about the work of Jesus and forget about Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel (Luke 10:38-42), he tells us of a story of two sisters, Mary and Martha. Jesus goes to visit their home and while he is there Mary is found sitting around doing nothing but listening to Jesus teach and Martha is busy preparing dinner. Martha complains to Jesus that Mary isn’t helping, but Jesus tells her that Mary has chosen the only necessary thing.

Jesus is the only necessary thing. However, we can assume we are focused on the necessary thing. But really we are only assuming we are. Unfortunately, stuff goes to crap when you only assume the relationship is going well.

I’m recently engaged and the wedding is coming quickly (I mean who wants to wait that long to get married?). It can be easy to get distracted by the busyness of life and not put the time into our relationship. But when that happens I start misreading her actions, intentions, her looks. Next thing I know I’m apologizing for being wrong. The one positive is I get to practice repentance and Ashley gets to practice grace, which brings us, closer to Jesus.

Now if we love Jesus, we ought to love what he loves. Jesus loves the church. He calls the church his bride (Ephesians 5). He laid down is life and purchased her with his own blood. He also loves the lost. And he goes after them, seeking even just one (Luke 15:3-7). But really, they are the church. They’re just the lost members of the church; those needing to be found.

Love God and love people. The two greatest commandments. Seems so simple. But what about when we don’t love people? Sometimes we have to trust in our love of God, seek Him, and obey him. We love people even when our heart isn’t in it. But we do so knowing we will again feel it. I often find myself looking back at Psalm 42. In it, the psalmist asks, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” We put our hope in God and know that we will praise him again. That we will carry out his commands with the heart he desires us to have. And that place to start is with prayer. Like the psalmist, we need to cast our burdens and struggles before him and just lay it all out.

God is big enough.

-Chris Bowers