With all the divisions in our communities, churches, and country what a great time for the Body of Christ (believers and followers of Christ) to show leadership and exhibit His love as an extension of His church.
The Bible is a love story of which as Christians we are to partake in extending love: first to our Lord and secondly to one another and specifically to our neighbours. To help understand love, our Lord not only taught us love but more importantly He exhibited it for us.
On a personal note when I had nothing to do with God and no real apparent interest and lived accordingly, He pursued me with love. Trust me when I state it had not been supernatural love because I was totally undeserving. His love was and is so real it changed me and my life, which is why it is so easy to love Him and share His love with others. How about you? Have you embraced and received God’s love and forgiveness?
One of the challenges our Lord gave us in the Gospels is to love one another and specifically to “love our neighbour as ourselves.” The question could be asked What if we don’t love ourselves? Or, if we so full of ourselves, how can we love our neighbours? What does He mean to love ourselves? I am sure we can all state the good acts of love we have done but what does He really mean and expect from us?
In answering the question of loving our Lord, if we use the example of Jesus relationship with His Father it was total surrender, time with the Father in intimate prayer, only doing what the Father wanted Him to do, only saying what the Father wanted Him to say, walking in total intimacy desiring to do only the Fathers will including taking our sins and giving life for us. If that is what He exhibited for us then when we talk about loving the Lord how does our love reflect in loving the Lord with all our heart and mind?
Not only do the Gospel writers record for us the teaching of Jesus but the Apostle Paul in his letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, and Timothy, also teach us about love. Our other early church fathers such as the Apostles John, James, and Peter in their teachings also addressed love. If it is so important to them, then love has to be that critical for us to also fully embrace as well.
To help us understand Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, he states that even if you operate in the spiritual gifts, have faith to move mountains, give to the poor yet do not have love, he declares he is nothing and gains nothing. I suppose to avoid conviction we can be theologically, intellectually, and academically correct stating Paul was just referring to himself or the Corinthian church, but come on let’s be real and let Paul own it.
In fact, Paul helps us by describing love. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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. Love never fails.
We know from scripture that God is Holy but the Apostle John also reminds us “God is love.” May we His church truly be His extension of love.
John Grady lives and writes in Fort St. John.
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October 03, 2021 at 10:47PM
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John Grady: Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth - Alaska Highway News
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