Jesus loves you. Everyone else thinks you’re a jerk!I am sure that the bumper sticker was an attempt at a wry twist on other bumper stickers of Christians trying to share the Gospel with a message of “Jesus loves you.” People who think that those Christian bumper stickers are silly would certainly delight in this dig.
I wonder, however, whether the driver of that car realizes that he is actually advancing the Christian message! (See Philippians 1:17-18.) Even if everyone else thinks you’re a jerk, Jesus does love you. The Lord loves the unlovable.
In fact, for the opposite case, Jesus says, “Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for that is what they did to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26). If everyone thinks you’re great from a worldly perspective, you’re probably not living a God-pleasing life. (See also Luke 6:22-23.) You’re also likely to trust your own righteousness instead of confessing the sin that you do have in your life and seeking God’s forgiveness.
On the other hand, if everyone thinks you’re a jerk, you’re probably not living by the Golden Rule. You should treat others the way you would want to be treated. But Jesus still loves you. Biblical love is more about what you can give rather than what you can get; it desires the best for someone, regardless of feelings.
The Lord loves you and wants the best for you. “The best” includes giving up selfish ways that are alienating others. But even if it feels like the whole world is against you no matter how hard you try, know that Jesus gave His life for you so that you could live forever with Him, and it doesn’t depend on what you do, but on what He has done for you.
This Valentine’s Day and always, there’s no better love than that!
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