Father, I would ask that You enable me to focus on You and not on myself. More of You, and less of me. Amen.

Romans 12:9-13 (<<click here to read the passage)

Back when I was a wee lad, in the early 1970s, one of Coca-Cola’s biggest ad campaigns, ever, hit the airwaves. Their all-encompassing slogan was ‘It’s the Real Thing’. The initial catchy song, I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke, was eventually reworked as I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing and became over-the-top popular. The commercial involved young people from all over the world gathered on a hilltop in Italy singing the song ending with, “It’s the real thing…”

Coke’s then brand manager, Ira C Herbert, heralded it as a new direction that “responds to research which shows that young people seek the real, the original and the natural as an escape from phoniness.”

It boded well for Coca-Cola, but I don’t think they cornered the market on understanding that young people – for that matter all people – seek those things. Honestly, I believe those desires are stronger than ever in the world in which we live!

The first part of verse 9 in the Amplified Bible reads,

Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy].

The pointed notes in my Life Application Study Bible states,

Most of us have learned how to be courteous to others – how to speak kindly, avoid hurting their feelings, and appear to take an interest in them. We may even be skilled in pretending to show compassion when we hear of others’ needs, or to become indignant when we learn of injustice. But God calls us to real and genuine love that goes far beyond being hypocritical and polite. (emphasis mine.)

Real love isn’t some haphazard response to others. It’s a concentrated effort on our part. If done for maximum impact, it requires a great investment of resources on our part – it demands our time, money, and personal involvement.

It is our responsibility to work to these ends which Christ has set before us. But, as we spoke of last time, the Body of which we are a part can accomplish much more than we can all by ourselves. People are searching for love – the real thing, and we know just the place where it can be found.

Lord Jesus, may we be diligent in spreading – sharing – Your abundant love. Amen!

Aug 6th, 2023, Sun, 7:02 pm