Isn’t it just spine-tingling when you have a divinely inspired life-lesson delivered to your brain-box, by way of real life experiences?

(300000 Vk “Untitled Hidden Track”)

I had a conversation the other day with someone at work who I’ve never previously spoken with much, and a pleasant conversation it was too. In the course of discussion this gentleman told me about a movie he’d seen which was set in London, and which he enjoyed because there was “no bad language in it”.

One thing I’ve finally learned, I hope, is to be gracious about a person’s weakness or mistake and not to use it to make him look or feel stupid, so I didn’t raise the fact that every day I hear him using four letter words at the top of his voice, in contrast to his alleged preference for clean language.

I’m not here taking a shot at bad language, and I think it’s a big mistake to deny someone respect and the love of Jesus just because they’ve picked up the almost universal habit of using profanity to make a point, or because their walk fails to match their talk in some insignificant way. My workmate was polite with me, he was friendly, and he was respectful.  His weakness is very minor, in my view, in comparison to the hypocrisy we can all be guilty of at times.

I’m talking about love-or the lack of it.

When we fail to treat people with respect and love and politeness we are demonstrating to the world that we are spiritually empty and bankrupt (1 Corinthians 13). We are breaking the second most important commandment of all (Matthew 22:37-38), and we are revealing that we are not-I repeat not-children of God at all, despite our claims, our church attendance and offerings, and the little fish on the back of our car:

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).

Yes, sin is sin, and wrong is wrong, but you and I are expected to love the sinner while hating the sin. We will all only receive the forgiveness of God because He is merciful, not because we deserve it.

So come on “Christian”(and I’m saying this to myself also), get rid of that sour attitude, and start doing what the Living God wants and demands you to do…start loving people!

• DEVOTION