God says Love One Another. No Way?
We just finished 40 Days of Love (a group of us men) which caused me to expand my understanding and practice of loving God and one another. I am realizing that real love is not based on or dependent on the “idea” or “feelings” of love.
We found that love is action, it is practical. Real love is sacrificial, it interrupts our agenda and plans for the day. Love that is alive accomplishes what others want, not necessarily what we want. Love waits for others, it is gentle and kind, it is full of goodness, purity, and carries others peoples burdens. Love never fails to believe and have hope. Just trying to practice a couple of these principles consistently with close loved ones is daunting; is love supposed to be a burden?
Now here is the big rub. God wants us to love Him with ALL our heart, with ALL our mind, with ALL our soul, and with ALL our strength. God also wants us to love others the same as we love our self. God wants us to love our neighbors too. God even wants us to love our enemies! I admit it, I can’t love God and all these people according to God’s expectations!
Really, my natural inclination is to love myself (I’m an expert at that), however if it suits me or is not too much a bother, I will love family members and others, at least for a while, until I get tired or they disappoint me or I get lazy, or or or…. It’s just that I’m a finite being with limited energy, time, resources, and imperfect capacities–mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. Doesn’t God know this about me?! So why does He still demand we love Him and one another with all that we are to His expectations?
Jesus. In my new life through faith in Jesus Christ, I have paradoxically found the time, energy, resources and capabilities to love as God loves! No, I am not perfect by any means, but I know for a fact that God loves through me. I do not take any credit, other than say Yes Lord have your way!
Do you want to experience true, intimate, and eternal love? Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior today, put yourself under the loving hand of Almighty God. Daily submit yourself to God, give him your all, He will give you His all! Apart from Jesus we can do nothing!