In the 1950s, a skinny preacher named David Wilkerson infiltrated a gang-controlled neighborhood on the streets of New York, preaching the Gospel. One of the most notorious and most feared gang leaders, Nicky Cruz, approached the preacher one frightful day and said, “You come near me, and I’ll kill you!”

Wilkerson replied, “Yeah, you could do that. You could cut me up into a thousand pieces and lay them in the street, and every piece will still love you.”

Cruz later miraculously gave his life to the Lord, transforming him from the inside out. Wilkerson wrote about it in one of the most famous Christian books of all time, The Cross and the Switchblade.

What an incredible response to a life-threatening encounter! Wilkerson was committed to loving Cruz even if he was brutally killed in the process. How committed are we to loving others, no matter how much they hate us or irritate us? Wilkerson’s response challenges my faith…a lot! I confess, it isn’t always easy to show love even to those I do love; loving strangers and enemies is infinitely harder. To live like Jesus means to love like Jesus, with humility and compassion, the way Wilkerson did.  

Before He died on the cross for us, Jesus prayed that we would love like He did. Jesus equates our love for others to our love for Him. If you truly love God you will truly love others.

Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”