This is my command: Love each other. John 15:16-17
Have you ever realized that almost all lessons from God come full circle, back to love? I have. The bottom line to our life, the one commandment that God wants us to follow and do, is to love one another. How well are we really following this command in today’s society?
Here comes the risk of grace. God went out on a limb to make us apart of His branch with the hope that we will bear fruit. When we should love others, we are showing the world that we are God’s disciples. There is a sweetness the springs from the Vine.
Do you love well, or are you lousy at it? There are days that I struggle with loving others well, yet I know that it is the foundation of my faith and showing who God is. Love is not inactive. It is an active emotion. Read the following verses:
Matthew 5:44, Romans 15:5-7; 1 Corinthians 16:14; 2 Corinthians 1:4; Galatians 5:13; Galatians 6:1-4; 1 John 3: 14-18. How do these verses tell us to show love actively? Now pick a verse each week to specifically show love to someone this coming week. Start praying for this.
Read 1 John 4:11, now sit in that knowledge that God loves you THAT MUCH!!!! Love is vulnerability, and we live in a world where that is not really the way to go. We don’t say I love you that often, yet we sure can use hurtful words, and we believe that we have a right to express those feelings however we see fit. However, is it the way God instructs and wants? Is it really showing love actively?
Read Romans 8. This is a long and all-inclusive list of things that cannot separate you from God’s love. Yet, I think we skim through and pick what we like to hear from this chapter. The first keyword from this passage is “those who are in.”, the next keywords are “who do NOT walk according to the flesh.” I think these key parts set up the rest of this passage. Now please don’t get me wrong; yes, nothing can separate us from God’s love. NO matter what, God loves His creation. However, do we also realize that even though he loves us if there is no real change in our lives honoring and pleasing to Him that there are consequences? I really believe that Paul is saying that yes, nothing can separate us from God when we are aligned and abiding in the Vine wholeheartedly. When we love God wholeheartedly, we obey Him and His commands; there is nothing that can separate us; we do have the power with the help of the Holy Spirit to not fall into sin when we are aware of that temptation. As we grow in God, He will teach and show us all the sin that He wants to get rid of in our lives. God doesn’t stop loving us, and it is “us” who separate ourselves from God’s love. We need to realize that there are two in a relationship; even with God, WE get to chose to love God also. With this, it is us who reject God, not the other way around. There is so much more to this, but for now, I will leave it. This doesn’t mean that you cannot go on a soul truth searching into this subject more.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your great love. For loving us unconditionally. Even when we don’t love you back, I pray that we will choose to love you and not respond in the flesh but by the Spirit.
In Jesus Name
Amen
