Episode #71 - If You Love Me, Love My Kids

Over the past week we have seen countless instances where other people here that are a part of our church family have shown tremendous love to our children. When others love our kids, it makes us feel so loved ourselves. And that's the way it should be - would anyone beleive you if you said you loved them but hurt their children? Well...don't you think God feels the same way? How can we claim to love God while we treat one another with hatred, malice, and contempt? The greatest commandments are these: love God and love people. You cannot do one without the other. 

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Transcript

Welcome back to all of our listeners! I’m BJ Sipe, and you’re listening to the Set Your Mind Above podcast – where everyday ordinary events teach us extraordinary eternal truths. I’m so glad that you’ve tuned in today, I am excited to share my life and my faith with you, and I sure hope that you’ll do the same with me along the way. 

Having children has been the single greatest honor of my life next to being the husband to my wife Kylie. I love my children with all of my heart, and they never stop finding ways to remind me of just how grateful I am for them. It’s the little moments like last night as we were all praying as a family together, watching them squeeze their little hands as hard as they can and shut their eyes tight, before belting out an “AMEN!” at the top of their lungs. It’s Ava running up to me before I left for work this morning saying, “Drive safe daddy!” Or when Dane ran up to show me his belly button that he was so excited about as I was walking out the door, determined that I admire it and give it a tickle before I left. These kids bring me so much joy, and I am so underserving to have such a wonderful family, but I am forever grateful to God. But there has been something different that I have experienced since becoming a parent that I had never thought about before having children. Obviously I love my children and the time I spend with them brings me so much joy, but in addition getting to watch how others love your children fills your heart up unlike anything else. I just want to share with you a few things that folks here that are a part of our church have done over the past week for our children. On Monday, Kylie surprised me with a date night and last minute Jeff, Annette, and Kylie agreed to babysit for us so we can go on a date. When we got back, Kylie and I weren’t sure who had had a better time – us or the kids! The Coopers are family, and they have just adopted our children like they are their own. They way they love our kids makes us feel so loved. On Sundays, like this past Sunday, it is not uncommon for Loretta Godbey to show up with some kind of toy or surprise for the kids. Loretta’s lap is the first place that the kids want to sit when we arrive at worship. We sure love Harold & Loretta, but we feel the most loved when they show such constant care for our children. Or even what was happening last night after evening Bible class. I was finishing packing up my things when I heard all kinds of heavy footsteps running above my head upstairs. I made my way up to find both of my kids as well as Lakelyn screaming with joy as Jimmy Godbey ran between the pews chasing them around the foyer, catching them and tossing them up in the air. I have a good feeling Jimmy’s back is sore today, but to watch the joy in the face of these young children as this man played with them for quite a long time after services was special to see. It’s these moments that I treasure and fill up my heart, because certainly I love my children, but I also feel most loved when others love my children too. All of this reminds me of a statement I’ve talked about before that was made at a men’s day a few years ago by my friend Josh McKibben. He made the statement, “Don’t tell me that you love me but then hate my children. If you really love me, you show me by how you also love my kids.” It really is a true statement, and I have really felt it by these and so many others over the past few years since we arrived here in Danville. Time would fail me to thank everyone and bring up every instance, so let me just publicly say thank you to everyone here for how you love us by loving our kids. 

We understand this principle certainly when it comes to our own children and how others treat them, but let me ask you a question: do you think that God feels the same way? As Christians, we claim that we love God and I truly believe that most of us do. However, there are times where we as Christians bite and devour one another, when we treat one another with hatred, contempt or malice. Now let me ask you this question: do you think that God feels loved by you when you treat his children in this way? The Apostle John puts it in this way in 1 John 4:19-21, “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” Did you catch that? If anyone says, “I love God” but then turns around and hates his brother, he is deceiving himself and lying to everyone else. Such a person does not actually love God, because you cannot love God and yet treat his children with hatred or contempt. Just as I would not believe someone who said they loved me but then hurt my children, what makes us think that God believes us when we claim to love him but then hurt his children? The statement is true: whoever truly loves God must also love his brother & sister in Christ. I think all of us can think of some pretty serious applications that hit close to home for us all. For some of you, there are others who come to mind that have hurt you recently or over the years. People that come into your assembly, sings songs of praise to God, even proclaim his Word publicly, but then in private have hurt you and treated you like the scum of the earth. There is no doubt that such experiences have discouraged you, because this is not how God’s people are to act. But let me ask you this: have you returned evil for evil? Have you treated them as poorly as they have treated you? If so, you cannot claim that you love God any more than those that have hurt you. We must love our enemies, even fellow children of God that are out of line. Do not return evil for evil, but instead give a blessing and show others truly the love of God. Maybe some of you are convicted yourself by this message. You think back on how you have treated another brother or sister recently or over the years and you realize that you stand guilty before God. Not only have you hurt them, but you hurt your Father with how you treated his children. Now is the time to make that right and to reconcile with your brother or sister and ask for their forgiveness for the things that you have done – you cannot claim you love God if you never make the effort to make it right. Finally, I want us to understand that this does not merely apply to those who are in Christ. While we are adopted as children of God in Christ Jesus, in another sense we are all the children of God because he is the Creator of all. God desires for all to be saved, and as such consider this question: how do you treat others who have been created in his image? On social media, when you disagree with someone about politics, sports, religious matters, etc. – does the way that you speak to them or about them reflect that you love God? Or is the way that you treat others whom you disagree with not indicative of what John is teaching us? My friends, you cannot love God and hate people. The greatest commandments are these: love God and love others. They inseparable, and you cannot do one without the other. Let’s finish with he words of Christ as recorded in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. Tune in, Tuesday-Fridays, as a new podcast episode will be uploaded each day. Also, be sure to follow the Facebook page for the Set Your Mind Above podcast for future announcements and video sessions. As you have the opportunity, share these thoughts with your friends and family, and share with me what important lessons you are learning from every day, ordinary events. Until next time know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above.