Column by Robyn Honeycutt

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Columns | Send mail to The Voice Love Doesn't Take Shortcuts A life lived for love takes a lifetime. Hudson Taylor said, "I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God. First it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done." Our lives are great works of God, and while it often seems that the temptations and hardships are not worth it, our faithful responses show our greatest love for God and each other. There is no shortcut to a life lived for love. When Professor Bonnie Kopp, was diagnosed with her eye problem, her husband, Tom said, "I'm so glad that we're part of the body of Christ. I don't know why any Christian wouldn't want to be part of the body." He was referring to the love, support and prayers they received from their church family--not just the members of their local church but also the family at Multnomah and those they've worked with and known around the world. It's easy to ask, "What's so difficult about living the loving Christian life?" But in reality, we know it isn't always that simple. My son is reading Dr. John Mitchell's biography, "The Lion of God." As we talked about Dr. Mitchell, we realized the love he had for people came from the intense love he had for our Savior. We find the source of that love in the Scriptures, its message powerfully culminating at the cross. Love for the Savior is theory unless we live for the Savior. Amazingly, living out the teachings of Scripture is the best way to show love for one another. Over the long haul, the way we live makes a huge difference. I remember talking to a missionary from Zambia who said, "If Paul, one of the Zambian church leaders, falls into sexual sin as the others have, I will quit." At the time, I was shocked that a missionary could be so disheartened by the people she came to minister to. The truth is that we each have the power to encourage or discourage, depending on the choices we make. In the heat of a moment when we decide whether or not to sin, we usually are not considering the effect our choice will have on our Christian brothers and sisters. We should. For many of us, graduation is nearly here. We can continue to love each other after we've left Multnomah by living lives that intensely love our Savior. Difficult as this may be, lives lived for love do not take detours or shortcuts. The great work God is doing in each of us will one day be done. Remember, the stories we live may never be written about, but they will be read. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Columns | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2005 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.