When we think of the word love we think about how we feel about someone close and dear to us. We tend to think about those that are a part of our lives, weather family or friends. We think about how we are willing and wanting to show them affection, take care of them, spend time with them and just have fun with them. How often do we think of those that aren’t so close to us or those that we are having serious conflict with? Are we as readily to show love and be tender towards someone that we disagree with or as willing to help someone that we are at odds with? Even further; how often are we able to, at least, simply act cordially towards someone that we don’t particularly care for or doesn’t care for us?
1 John 4:16b (NLT) God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
Because we live so much by our feelings and emotions, it's not always easy to walk in love. When it comes to family and those close to us it's easier to act out of love even when we are at odds, but with others we tend to live in the moment and off of the current emotion that is driving us. Sometimes causing us to say or do things that if we stopped and thought about for a moment, we normally wouldn't. If we are truly seeking God and trying to live a life pleasing to Him, then we need to make a conscience effort toward walking in love daily and with everything that we do.
God is love…everything He does for us, He does out of love. Our ultimate goal in life is to be as Christ like as we possibly can. We must do our best to display His love through our words, our actions and even our thoughts. I realize that isn’t always easy because we really do seem to live by our emotions. However, the more we stay in prayer about God transforming our hearts and minds the more we will walkout His love in all areas of our lives. It’s not always something that will happen overnight either…especially if we are used to acting in the moment, but God is an awesome God and can transform even the hardest of hearts.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT) 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
This scripture, one of my favorites, teaches us what God says love is. To me it also says that love is not just mere emotions and feelings, but an action and a choice. We have to wake each morning making the choice to be kind and patient…to be open to others and their needs. We have to make the choice to forgive quickly and not count the wrongs that are done to us by others. We have to learn to hate injustice but, rejoice when truth wins out. Verse 7 says…Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. This is what God displays to us each and every day and what He requires of us towards our fellow man.
While this is the way we should already be, sadly it’s often hard for us to walk in love because our flesh gets in the way. We want our way and sometimes we hold grudges toward those who have hurt us. Because of certain situations or circumstances we may be walking in irritation which causes us to lash out or even avoid others. Jealousy and pride are some of the biggest human down falls because we think too highly of ourselves or seem to always covet what someone else has. We even judge others simply because they are not like us. None of this is of God. We can break these vicious cycles through meditation and prayer in God’s word. He can change and transform our hearts and minds to walk in His love not just to those closest to us, but to all that we encounter and even with those that we are disagreeing with.
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 (NLT) 12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.
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