Haven't you ever found it strange that we are commanded to love? Love God...love people....this I get, but to be COMMANDED to love? I always wondered why....
And now I know. It comes naturally to us to love ourselves. No one has to teach us how to look in the mirror...(and flex) or smile, or to pucker our little 2 year old princess lips....but we all do this by default.
Why then when it comes to loving the one who CREATED us...why do we faultier, and why, when it comes to loving those CLOSEST to us, to we fail???
"Dear Friends- let us love one another, for love COMES FROM GOD. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love, does not know God. (wow) This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only son into the world that we might live THROUGH Him....This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us...and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear Friends since God so loved us, we also ought to love one anther." - 1 John 7-11 AND
" THIS IS HOW WE KNOW WHAT LOVE IS...CHRIST LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR US." - 1 John 3:16
You may be sitting there going, "wow...that's a lot of love!" and if that is your thought, you are right. But something that I noticed today, that I have never really contemplated before is this: We know how to love by watching Him, and what He desires more than anything else in the world or our existence, is for us to love HIM, He who created, longs to be loved by HIS creation. He desperately wants us to think of His feelings, understand HIS emotions, and His characteristics, and then copy them, IN HIS STRENGTH. As I copy the things I see in Him, that out pour of love, will automatically begin to become what comes out of me. (perhaps not always so automatically) but it will begin to take place MORE than if I did not focus on Him, learn from Him, study Him, adore Him....for that is what loving someone is. You love what they do, what they say, who they are, what they stand for...and when you love them fully, it shows in how you adore them with your speech, with your actions, and your respect.
Do I ADORE and LOVE Christ this way? Do I LONG for the next time He utters a word to me? DO I wait breathlessly as He prepares His next lesson for me? Do I study the things that He loves, and do consider important what He calls important? teach me how Lord...
This is how we know what love is, Christ gave up His life. Sacrifice. Love is sacrificial. Love is NOT always easy. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it's easy to give up our time, our possessions and resources for another, but usually, it's a stretch. And it's supposed to be, for we are not to be doing this in our own strength. We are to love in the strength that He lovingly gives to us. He will supply what we need, when we need in great amounts, that runeth over...and we will be equipped. I love that.
Thank you Lord...
"Do not be suprised my brothers, if the world hates you.." -1 John 3:13
So let me get this straight, I am to love those that hate me? This is what I do to you Lord... I am sorry...
What I have gleaned from this most, is this: I am to love God will all my heart, soul and mind. TO desire and LONG to know more of Him!!! To LONG to gaze into HIS face, His eyes, and wait breathlessly for HIM to open His mouth and utter a word for me. Increase my faith oh Lord
I long to have hours of endless silence to sit at His feet...but since this world and life to do not allow me this, I steal away, buy and bargain for every still quiet moment I can have with my Lord and Savior to learn from Him, worship Him in all His glory...and yes...love Him. Teach me how to love...
For the way I understand the word love most likely does not even scratch the surface of what He means by it, but I am a student, learning from her teacher, her master. I am sheep, bleating for her shepherd...I am a soul...longing for His instruction. And from what I know of God, He does not leave His children hanging. He meets their needs...He feeds His sheep...and lifts those who bowed down.
AND I turn, I will turn around and extend that love, that type of love to all who bump into me. that love would be written on my face, laced in my words, and seen through my actions. That I wouldn't have to proclaim..."I'm loving you..." but that it would just be known...show me how Lord..
This is how we know what love is.
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment The who fears is not made perfect in love..." 4:18
I could get all into how His love is sacrificial and it is not self seeking, but we see that plainly by His demonstration of love with His death on the cross...
So how do we love? With the love we learn to love with as we admire Him. How to we admire Him? By spending time with Him. How do we spend time with Him and get to know Him? By getting in the word! By opening up that Bible on our shelf...and reading it. That is how we know Him and in turn, learn to love Him. For we cannot help but love a man who died for us. Who gave up His everything...for us. This is how we know what love is. So now we know. What do we do with this? That my friend is up to me, and to you....
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