A Love Like That

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.. I Peter 4:8 (NLV)

Because I read my Bible and study God's word, pray on a regular basis, and attend church pretty regularly does not make me any better than you.  If my attitude or behavior makes me appear to be superior than I am not behaving in a way that represents God the way He wants me to.  I am not loving in a way that shows that I am but a sinner saved by grace.  Each and every day I still fall short.  I have to confess my sins daily.  My path to heaven may not be the same as yours but that is not important. What is important is that we all make it to heaven.  What a sad day it will be if those that I come in contact with on a regular basis do not see a consistent display of God's love shining through in my life on a daily basis. Will I be responsible for hindering someone from wanting to be saved? To experience the unconditional love of such an awesome God.

Love is an important part of being a Christian.  As we aspire to be more like God in the way we walk, in the way we talk, in the way we live, and in the way we give, we cannot achieve this without giving the love of God generously.  This love is not to be withheld as a bargaining tool to try to get someone to see things our way.  It should not be given only to those that look like us or meet certain standards.  This love should be given to the homeless person on the street corner, the husband/wife you share a bed with and to the boss/co-worker that you see on a daily basis.  One of the most difficult aspects of love for a Christian is forgiveness.  After a while I believe that we become ungrateful to God for the forgiveness that we receive. His grace and His mercy as well.  We stop having compassion for those around us.  We decide when someone should be better and how many chances they have to get it right.  This is a very common mistake of believers.  I have a couple of questions for you.  "Who died and left you both judge and jury?"  Another question would be "What if God treated you the same way you are treating your brother or your sister?"  These questions should make you think.  They should prompt you to want to be better.  They should make your re-evaluate some things about your life. 

I love the verse written above.  The first two words of the passage lets you know how important love is.  The writer tells us that above all else, LOVE.  True love to another makes us kind to his imperfections, charitable toward his faults, and often blind even to the existence of faults. We would not see the imperfections of those whom we love; and our attachment for what we esteem their real excellencies, makes us insensible to their errors. Have you ever been broken maybe because of the that comes from the Lord and someone extends to you the love of God. They welcome you back into the fold and let you know that everything is going to be alright. How did you feel.  We have all been in a position where we have felt unworthy to receive the love of God and oh what a wonderful feeling when He wraps his arms around us anyway saying, 'My child, I love you."  As followers of Christ we should be no different.  No matter how much they hurt or mistreat you, we are called to LOVE.  For love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. (I Corinthians 13:4-5) Maybe you don't understand that why you have been mistreated and maybe in the past your response has been to get even.  I challenge you today to give it to God.  Ask God to help you to show love, real love.  Not the kind of love that is dependent upon circumstance but a love that comes from knowing that God loves you.  That should be the difference maker. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Lord help me to love like you love.  To forgive like you forgive.  To keep no record of wrongs.  To be patient with those around me.  Help me to remember that but for the love, the grace and the mercy you have extended to me, I am but a sinner unworthy of your blessings.  I thank You for Your Son, Jesus who was sent to die on the cross for my sins, because He loved me,  Let me never forget where I came from.  I will be so careful to give You all the glory, honor and the praise.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

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.