Continue In Love

When you say that you are a Christian, what does it mean?  Does it mean that you go to church on Sunday morning, giving God two hours out of a one hundred sixty-eight hour week? Does it mean you keep a Bible on your desk at work?  Does it mean that you wear a cross around your neck?  Does it mean that you don't drink or you don't smoke?  What does it really mean? I believe that it means that you have recognized that you need help and that there are some things about you that you cannot change on your own.  So you accepted the Lord as your personal Savior.  Asked Him to take up residence in your heart.  You were tired of the way you were and needed someone to come in and perform a transformation.  Man couldn't do it.  Only an all-wise, all-powerful God could. 

My next question for you to ponder is 'how apparent is this transformation'?  What about you is different from the person sitting in the cubicle next to you?  Or the person in front of you in the grocery line?  How do you respond when faced with adversity?  How do you deal with the interruptions of life?  I read a verse today that said 'Let brotherly love continue...Hebrews 13:1.  When I read it I immediately wondered why the writer added the word continue.  What does it actually mean to continue in something?  One definition of continue is 'to exist over a prolonged period'.  But the definition I liked best was 'to go on after an interruption'.  In the previous chapter of the book of Hebrews, the writer focused on some of the essentials of Christian living.  Right living should continue in spite of life's interruptions.  You should continue to love even when people don't treat you right.  Love should be persistent even when it is not returned.  It should be shown even when it seems like everyone is against you.  Life is  full of ups and downs.....what I like to refer to as interruptions.  Those things that can turn your heart bitter and make you want to just look out for you and you alone.  We must remember as Christians though, that our life is our witness.  People may listen to the words you say but they pay more attention to what you do.  How you respond?  What will your reaction be?  Do you respond in  love in all things?  I believe that the writer used the word continue because he knew that we would be faced with people that would be difficult to love.  He knew that people close to us would sometimes hurt us, disappoint us, be mean to us.  The writer must have guessed that people who knew us way back when would be waiting on us to slip up.  He knew that certain circumstances and situations would make us want to retaliate against others. That is why he said to make sure we continue in brotherly love.  This type of love comes only from God.  It's the kind of love that makes us forgive out brother and our sister.  It gives us the ability to turn the other cheek.  Always remembering that love is patient.  Love is kind.  It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud. (I Corinthians 13:4)   When faced with the challenges of this life we must remember that love should always be our response.  It doesn't mean that we are weak.  In fact, it shows that we are strong.  Anyone can lash out at the person who does wrong against us but it takes a much stronger person to say "I forgive you". 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

I stretch my hands to You.  No other help I know.  If thou withdraw thyself from me oh whether shall I go.  Lord, here I stand in all humility asking you to help me to love as You love. To remember that it is not about me.  My desire is to please You in everything I do.  I understand that means that I must put my selfish desires aside and be obedient to Your Word in all things.  Forgive me of my sin of unforgiveness and not loving my brother and my sister.  I want to be more and more like You.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen.