Loving God means loving people. Loving people means making a difference for God. The evidence of the integrity of our love for God is how we treat our neighbors, how we help those in need, and how we respond to the unloved and unlovable. What other people need most in their lives are people who will love them. We don’t need perfect people, we just need people who love God and who love us. Denver Moore, a homeless man, put it well in his book, “What Difference Do It Make?” He said, “Needy people don’t need no perfect people. When Jesus sent the disciples out, He sent Peter right along knowing that Peter had a bad temper and was going to deny Him three times. He sent John and James even though they were full of pride and fighting over the best seat in the house. He even sent Judas, knowing Judas was gonna betray Him. Listen, if the devil ain’t messing with you, he’s already got you. If you is waiting to clean up your own life before you get out to help somebody else, you might as well take off your shoes and climb back into bed.” Today, let’s put on our shoes and let’s start loving God by serving others.
– Dr. Tim Thompson