Let me count the ways. There are so many kinds of love. I’m not sure any of them except love of self, is innate, it is my opinion that all outward love must be taught and learned, we must discipline ourselves to give up our way to love others. A dear friend, who is the fragrance of Christ, asked this question, and it cut me to the quick.
How can we passionately love God and somehow fail to translate that into a passionate love for others? Didn’t Jesus say, “You will know that they are Mine by the way they love one another.” “We love because He first loved us” right! Did He not love us passionately so we could love others with that same love so they could also know His passionate love for them? How I have failed to communicate God’s passionate love for me and my passionate love for Him in a passionate love for others. What’s your thoughts on this or is this just my learning curve? Sherrie Morrison
I think it is a “learning curve”!
I’m not sure, but for me it’s about obedience…I love, not only because He first loved me, but because Jesus commanded me to love. Now even though Jesus says it’s a new commandment, to love your neighbor, others, even enemies, this commandment to love God and others has been a commandment, since the very start. It was not a new commandment, they had had it all along, but the practice of it was new.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another”. John 13:34
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5
‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18
‘The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:34
And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Luke 10:27
Love isn’t about feelings…
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. Luke 6:32 So how do I love when I don’t feel like it? Pray…and pray and keep praying. I have found that when I ask the Father to give me His love for others He ALWAYS answers–yes! The problem comes when I am dis-obedient and refuse to do what God has commanded me to do. I don’t want to love someone, so I don’t ask for His power to love. I can’t really love anybody by myself. We have a myriad of reasons why this person or that person doesn’t deserve our love, fortunately for us Jesus didn’t give into His feelings and decided to do the will of the Father. He knew Judas would betray Him, that Peter would deny Him and that all of them would run away and leave Him alone, yet His prayer was, “…yet not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26 While He was on the cross He prayed for the Father to forgive those that had cursed Him, spit on Him, beat Him, those that were crucifying Him.
Is it our actions or our feelings?
On the one hand I see that I am not judged for my feelings, only my actions. Remember the story of the two sons—one said he would do what the father asked, but the other actually went against his feelings and did what he was asked to do. Matthew 21:28-31. However we must be mindful of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5, where He is admonishing us about our thoughts. It is our thoughts that lead us to commit murder, adultery, lying, hate… I see that it is a heart issue.
We think of dying for a friend or for the cause of Christ as the ultimate sacrifice—and it is—but what we are really called to do is to lay down our lives (my ways, my feelings) day in and day out, contrary to my human nature, maybe that is true sacrifice. – Oswald Chambers
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
We know LOVE by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16
Do you have friends that are hard to love? What about Christian friends that are hard to love? What about Christians that aren’t friends and that you disagree with on certain topics. What about enemies?
What do you do when you are confronted with the UN-lovable?
You feel so bad for not trying to love strangers.
Where does that put me, I guess I don’t even try.
I do try not to hate, and think I have done something grand, Wow, I guess I have a long way to go :{