WHAT IS GREATER THAN PRINCIPLES?

Do you know that a portion of the Scripture describes two brothers given quite an unlikely nickname? They are James and John, Mark 3:17, “James the son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder.) You know the very reason why they received this nickname. On many accounts, they were just very quick, quick to pass on judgment, quick to express anger, and quick to hate. Quick not in love but quick in expressing their humanity.

They are not alone, right? Many times, we are just like these two brothers—really quick! I have been caught so many times with this kind of temper. So quick not to love but so quick to judge. I was once told by an acquaintance, I heard you preached about love but I don’t see your loving character. You are just so quick to hate me and to treat me like a sinner. And from that time on she just spread this character defect I have to all people she would meet. And from that time on I decided to stop preaching. I knew I was guilty and I determined that if I would never be able to live what I preach, I won’t do it again. I can’t just find what is missing. I stopped preaching but still, I don’t know what was missing in my life. It was just so hard to catch and to find the missing link.

Yes, I was really quick to hate. When, I saw it wrong, it should be wrong. When, I saw people violating the rules, I didn’t give any considerations. If I felt they were bad they really were bad. I had a terrible struggle with my temper. My religious principles became the rules of life. What is right and what is wrong became the measurement of people and life for me. When it is wrong, it is wrong. You may be saying, “What’s wrong with that? We needed many people like that who will call sin by its right name.”

I also thought that way before, that, it was what the world needed, I thought the greatest need of the world is a person who can never be bought or sold. However, when I met the ONE John and James walked with for three years in the dirt roads of Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem, my life encountered a great twist. Principles to live by are never bad. A wrong thing can never be the right thing. But there is still more above the principles.

Yes, strong principles are needed but there is one more thing above principles, above of what is right and wrong, and do you know what is that, it is LOVE! And you know what, this is God—God is love. This is the same thing JOHN the son of thunder exactly found. He found that GOD IS LOVE. Soaked in the love of God, John the son of thunder became John the beloved. John who knew the transforming power of God’s love was turned into the most loving disciple. The disciple who new Jesus and GOD as love.

What changes your heart is love.

Principles keeps you strong and striving.

Love keeps you down kneeling and humble.

Yes, it’s love that has changed my life.

Yes, it is love that has given me a new life.

Yes, it is love that broke my hard temper and turned it into a sweet spirit.

Now, someone is wrong? I know it is hard. I know the struggle is not easy.

Someone failing the measuring mark, I have been there and it is just so difficult.

But I trust that they too will find what John found.

I trust that they too will find what I found.

I trust that they too will find that God is love and that is the greatest principle!

The love that will never condemn them and the love that will never let them go.