Agape: The face of Christianity: Our Daily Reflection

It is said that it is  always darkest under the lamp.

I have seen many Holy men. Many pastors, many speakers, many so called healers etc. I have also seen the original people of God who brought Jesus into my country. Truly, I have never forgotten them. They were gentle in speech, gentle in behavior and very gentle and true in their overall dealing within and outside of their sphere of influence. They were also very hard in their beliefs. So in my small mind, I saw them as a true reflection of Christ. And I guess that is what attracted the scores of people who joined their churches and became a following. 

Today, are we exhibiting attitudes and characteristics of Christ? Are we exhibiting the love Christ taught us ? Are we true followers of agape? 

I know we all will answer in the positive. But let's check ourselves against the checklist Paul gave us in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 verses 4-7 :

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

This love is to be practiced not only for people in general but for within families, societies and elsewhere. This love is what Jesus meant when He said - "love thy neighbor as thyself". 

When I measure myself on this as a checklist of the outcomes of love, I know I am not a 100 percent in any and probably not even 50 percent in most.

So the question is this: my actions, character and demeanor is what the light of my lamp is. If I don't burn bright, how will anyone looking at me respect Christ? Because they expect to see Christ through me and what they see in me is what they believe Christianity is.

Agape is what God's love for us is and our love for God. We need to get as close to this ideal as we can. Let us not let darkness prevail under the lamp but burn so brightly that we illuminate every nook and corner.