Rooting For Rivals: Pursuing A Higher MissionSample

Lust vs. love

We know the type of sexual indiscretion that has Christian leaders making headlines, but an even more common form of lust is alive and well within the Church. At its root, the vice of lust drives us to objectify others, to use people for our purposes. Love, in contrast, demands that we care for people in the self-sacrificial, others-focused way of Jesus. 

James and Carine Ruder, owners of L&R Pallet in Denver, Colorado, are passionate supporters of an orphanage in a small community in Peru. Every year, they would use a week of vacation time to visit the orphanage, and they were enlivened by the ways they saw God working. Back home, however, things were not going well at L&R Pallet. The workplace had become unsafe, and low morale prevailed. A manager blackmailed employees, and several staff members colluded to embezzle funds. This was not a place the Ruders or their employees wanted to be.

While James was in Peru, God convicted him of harboring misplaced affections. James viewed his company as a vehicle to generate profits to send to Peru, and he was neglecting to truly see and love the people God had entrusted to his influence. While James was not maliciously mistreating employees, he realized he needed to fundamentally change the way his company operated. No longer seeing his employees as a means to an end—but as people in need of God’s love—has resulted in an entirely new workplace culture. 

Where the Ruders once found excitement exclusively in what lay beyond their primary calling, today they also find joy loving those within their reach. Where they once valued people for a purpose, they now realize loving people is the purpose. 

The more compelling our mission and the stronger our desire, the more vigilant we must be in guarding our hearts against the propensity to use people for our purposes. May we always love people more than pursuits.

To fight the vice of lust:

1. Develop habits of love. Seek opportunities to serve others, including those outside your clan.  
2. Prioritize people. Your greatest expression of Christ's love is seen in how you treat others. 
3. Develop a community of accountability. Invite others to point out your blind spots and truly listen to those working alongside you.