Love Grounded in Truth

Hello and welcome to Beauty, the no-frills, no-nonsense podcast where we talk about all things beauty. True beauty. God’s beauty. I am your host and Lemongrass Spa consultant, Deanna, and today we are going to talk about the beauty - and importance of - Scripture. Last week I posted a website that compared the times of high school male athletes to the times of Olympic female athletes in a variety of races. I shared this to give some insight into the unfair advantage Lia Thomas had in stealing medals from other competitors. Some people agreed with me and some people didn't. I was called hateful and bigoted because of my beliefs, because those beliefs were construed to be narrow-minded. But the words I thoughtfully typed were simply biblical. I could share a lot about this topic, because there is a lot to say, but in the time I have, I will just say this: It is of utmost importance for Christians to say the hard words. Now there is a line here. We don't want to argue with people. Unless the person is willing to have an intelligent conversation, there is little point in going round and round in circles. That can actually damage not only a relationship with that person, but also with onlookers, and it does nothing to change their thinking. Ultimately, we want to share biblical truth with others and let Jesus work in their heart with the seeds we plant. If we are just telling people they are wrong then we shut down the possibility of anything happening in their heart. But the fear of their argument should not stop us from starting the conversation in the first place. The world tells us if we are not loving someone the way they want to be loved, then we are loving wrong. But Jesus says something different. The greatest commandment in the bible is to love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And a second is to love your neighbor like yourself. Many of you have probably heard this verse but we don't always highlight that there are two distinct commands. First, I am to love God with everything I have; all that I am. The greatest commandment is to love God with all of me. The second commandment is to love others the way I love myself. Do you see the difference there? If I am going to love God with all I have, then I am going to obey him. Not the world. I can be nice to the world, but I cannot love the world the way the world wants to be loved. Being nice, and being kind, and loving the world does not mean agreeing and approving of everything that is going on as if it is good. If I am loving God with all that I am, I am affirming his character, not the feelings of the world. If I am loving God with all that I am, I am studying his words, defending his truth, and paving paths to Jesus. So then, what does it mean to love others like myself? It means loving God with all I am. It means recognizing truth and loving people the way Jesus did - and he didn’t approve of the things that go against his character. He was kind. He saved people from themselves and from others. But he also said, go and sin no more. He did not affirm and approve in the name of love, and he was not wrong. Yes, it is risky to share the truth. I won't get everything right. I won't say things correctly. I will be met with opposition. People will tell me that I am hateful and bigoted and unloving and unkind and a slew of other words - all because I didn't agree, and it will hurt. And I will be sad. But here's the thing - I don't care what other people think about me. I don't mean that in an arrogant way. I just mean that it isn't about me. I care about what people think about Jesus. I won't stand before any of my critics on the day I die. I will stand before God. And he will either say I obeyed or I didn't. I followed him or I cowered in fear. I spoke truth or I held back. I defended him or I enabled the enemy. We are living in a world gone mad. But so was Jesus. And he gave us the model to follow, which involved love grounded in truth. I can't encourage you enough to get yourself in the word. Read. The. Bible. Figure out what you believe and why you believe it. God gave us the scriptures so we would know him, and when we know someone, we can introduce them to others. Okay, I am out of time, but let me introduce you to a natural fragrance. When it comes to perfume, finding your perfect scent can be tricky. Finding your perfect natural fragrance can be even more complicated. Look it up on the Environmental Working Group's Cosmetics Database, and you'll quickly see why artificial fragrance should be kicked out of your beauty routine! So, today, I want to share a lovely selection of Lemongrass Spa "perfumes" made with beautiful ingredients. The trio includes Sweet Melon, Blossom, and Sunkissed Coconut. They make great gifts for the people in your life this Easter and Mother's Day. Get full access to Shining.Our.Light at deannakohlhofer.substack.com/subscribe