LIVE the red words and have life to the full...

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." -- John 10:10

Some Bibles have published the words of Jesus written in red. This is so we can pay more attention to those words...make them stand out. Why? We should pay attention to the words of Jesus, because he wasn't just a prophet, or a good and kind teacher...he was and IS God. And we aren't just to pay attention to those words, we are to LIVE them.

The words in the verse above are written in red words. Jesus said them...he said he came so that they (we) may have life and have it to the full. Yes, he is talking about eternity. In the verses following, Jesus talks about how he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. He did lay down his life for us. If we believe that, then we will have a full life in heaven WITH him forever.

But I think it goes farther than that. We can have have life to the fullest during our time on earth as well. How? We have to LIVE those words in red!

I am reading a book, Right Here, Right Now by Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford. It is about being missionaries. Not necessarily by going to some far away country and helping those in need, but by being missionaries RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE. That doesn't mean preaching all the time and trying to convert everyone you see. It means LIVING THE WORDS IN RED.

Many people read the Bible, know it, can quote it word for word, verse by verse, but they don't LIVE it! I just saw a posting on Facebook this week that said something like going to church doesn't make you a Christian. That is so true. Even when we THINK we are Christians, that doesn't mean we ACT the way Christ wanted us to act and live the way Christ wants us to live.

We need to pay attention to the words of Jesus and LIVE them, not just recite them! Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your enemies. Sell your things and give the money to the poor. Forgive seventy times seven times. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. Treat people the same way you want them to treat you.

These are not just words, they are ACTION STATEMENTS. We, as followers of Jesus, are to do these things, not just for the people who are LIKE us, believe like us, pray like us, look like us...but for EVERYONE.

That means when someone hurts you, makes you mad, does something you don't believe in, or makes a wrong decision, we are not to judge them...we are to LOVE them. God does, should we?

I think if every one of us that claim to be followers of Jesus actually lived Jesus words, we would find ourselves in a more peaceful world...we would "live life to the full." It's something to think about today...are you living out the red words or just quoting them?