Tuesday, January 14, 2014

How Do You Love?

Loving others in a biblical manner involves your thoughts, words, and actions and is a sign of your being a disciple of Christ. Loving others biblically is dependent on your commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and is not dependent on people, circumstances, or your feelings.  John C. Broger

Have you ever thought about how you approach others with love?  It is much easier to love the people who love us isn’t it.  That is easy.  It is not as easy to love those who hate, ridicule or persecute us.  If we are to exhibit God’s criteria for loving others, we will need to practice it daily and it won’t be easy. 

If the Holy Spirit lives in us, then God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 5:5) The kind of love we will need to love others that are unlovable can only come from God and the Holy Spirit.  The thing is we must make a conscious effort to practice this kind of love. 

The world’s love often derails us .  In worldly love you only love others who love you back.  In worldly love we often use love as a means to get something back.  I have been guilty of this in the past.  You give love to someone with the object being that you get something in return.  Have you ever dated someone expecting them to love you back and when they don’t follow through, that love turns to hate and anger.  I’ve been there and done that.  This is not an example of God’s love.  The only way we can exhibit the kind of love that God wants us to give to others is by loving someone when they are getting on our nerves, being disagreeable and persecuting us.  
 
Jesus is the only person who lived in human form who loved without boundaries.  He loved the lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners of the world.  Even as he loved those that others, (the Pharisees), thought were unlovable, they persecuted Him for it. If we ever hope to give love as Jesus did, we will need to let go of ourselves.  That means it’s not all about me and what I will get from someone in return or I will only love that person if they walk, talk, act and look like me. 

Many years ago I worked down the street from a Subway.  In the part of town where I worked there were many homeless people and they would often sit outside the Subway.  There were times when I would walk by them like everyone else on the sidewalk and ignore them or not look their way because I considered them not worthy of my time.  In today’s worldly society you just don’t talk to the homeless.  

When God started changing my heart through the Holy Spirit, I would head to the Subway for lunch and all of a sudden I started seeing them and I started looking them in the eye.  What I saw was a heart that needed love.  Then I started speaking to them and finally I started buying lunch for them.  I couldn’t change their circumstances but I could love them as God loves us, with all my heart and without reservation.  If you practice God’s love you will be surprised by what you see and what you’ve been missing.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, there was a time in my life where I was oblivious to others suffering and I was selfish and self-centered.  I didn’t look past the outer layer of a person to the living breathing human being inside.  You created that person and I need to love them as You do.  I ask for Your forgiveness for not loving others as I should.  
     

Scripture:  “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.


“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Luke 6:27-36

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