In the spirit of the 12 days of Christmas, I challenged myself to think of 12 reasons to love Muslims. Here goes and we will see if I can do it.
- Muslims are fellow image bearers of God. When I think of Muslims as brothers and sisters I think of the fact that we are all made in the image of God. Better to think of them as brother, rather than “other. “
- We are monotheists. Although our understanding of God may differ in many ways, we both worship one God who reigns on high and is sovereign over creation (which sounds a lot like Calvinism).
- We both respect Jesus. Yes, we have a fundamentally different understanding of who Jesus is – but at least we both respect him.
- Increasingly Muslims are our neighbors, and Jesus definitely instructed his followers to love their neighbor.
- There are some Muslims, just as there are some Christians, who have taken the path of violence to obtain their goals. The percentage is small, but this is a reality. However, Jesus also instructs his followers to love their enemies.
- Halfway there. Both Christians and Muslims believe that to live their faith means to submit to God. In that sense we are all Muslims.
- Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples of all nations. We can’t make disciples without first loving people. We can’t effectively witness to those we fear.
- Perfect love drives out fear.
- We can learn from our Muslim neighbor. I remember driving across a region of West Africa with an elderly Muslim man. When prayer time came, he insisted that we stop so he could spread out his mat and pray. By the end of the trip I was frustrated at the extra time it took to reach our destination. But I was also left with admiration for this man’s devotion to God.
- When you get to know a Muslim personally, it becomes much easier to love him or her. The fact is that we fear what we do not know. Muslims are people just like you and me.
- Christians are persecuted in the Middle East and other places around the world – that is a sad fact that should drive us to pray for them. But does that justify a sort of revenge treatment of Muslims in North America? Wouldn’t Jesus want us to show them even more love?
- Yes! Made it to 12! We live each day with the help of the Holy Spirit. He gives all who follow Jesus strength to overcome their fears and do more than we can imagine. He also works in the hearts of men and women. He is revealing His power in our day, to all who do not yet follow Jesus as Lord and Savior, including Muslims.