True LOVE
As we approached/approach/are approaching a discussion on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we've been--and are being--distinctly drawn to the fact that our actions are worthless if we do not LOVE the people around us.
What is LOVE?
(Baby, don't hurt me.)LOVE says to be patient when you are seriously frustrated with somebody.
LOVE says be kind to the one who mistreats you.
LOVE says to let go when you want to hate the people who have hurt you.
LOVE says to forgive, even if they don't ask for it and aren't sorry.
LOVE says to always hope, even when they show no indication of change.
LOVE goes against every natural tendency that we have. It requires that we sacrifice the things that are most important to us (including our self-image, pride, and safety nets) and give all that we have to people who don't deserve it.
But I can't do that.
At the core of who I am, I'm too prideful, selfish, and un-caring to truly LOVE anybody. If it's my responsibility to just go out and love everybody, I'll never accomplish it.
Here's the key:
God doesn't give us the instruction to LOVE others without giving us the power to LOVE others.
God doesn't just throw us into the world and say, "LOVE them, or else!" He is not sitting up in heaven waiting for us to fail, so He can brag about how good He is and how much we suck. He's not some sort of punk older brother who dares us to do things He knows we can't do, so we embarrass ourselves and make Him look good.
God wants us to LOVE others, so He gives us His LOVE.
He Loves US
God loves us, and not just the perfect, saved, working on things version.
"God demonstrates his own LOVE for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8God loves us in the very worst of who we are/have ever been/will ever be.
He LOVES the us we were before we got saved.
He LOVES the us we are every time we sin.
He LOVES the us that feels like we can't change.
He LOVES the us that makes mistakes.
He LOVES the us that we hate.
He does not enjoy our mistakes and shortcomings, but in the midst of them, His thoughts toward us are:
"Patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
- 1 Corinthians 13
He sacrificed the thing that was most important to Him (His son) to give all that He had to people who didn't deserve it (us).
In one remarkable move, God simultaneously releases us from all we've ever done AND gives us the ability to LOVE those around us.
And God's LOVE for us didn't end on the cross. Jesus' resurrection enabled us to have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. God empowers us to LOVE every day by literally putting His LOVE inside of us.
"God's LOVE has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." - Romans 5:5We don't have to make fumbling attempts to LOVE the people in our life; God will LOVE them through us and teach us how to LOVE them.
Relying on the Holy Spirit takes the pressure off of us and puts it back on God--who has a perfect track record.
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