To Love One Another - NOT just because “Tis the Season”
“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,” John 3:16. Through the Holy Spirit, loving others should be easy, right? For me, it depends on the day.
“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,” John 3:16. Through the Holy Spirit, loving others should be easy, right? For me, it depends on the day. Ha! That sounds crazy, but it’s true.
There are days when loving others comes easy, and then there are days when loving others is more challenging than running. If you know me, you know running is no easy task! I’ve found the most challenging time for me to love others is during a time of pain or struggle. 1 Peter 1 tells us to rejoice in times of trials. If we have the Lord in our heart, we will have everlasting peace in Heaven.
Loving others is a little easier through the power of the Holy Spirit than trying on our own. I am not saying loving one another will be easy...living life is not easy especially disconnected from the Lord. What does it mean to LOVE? 1 Corinthians 13 paints a picture of how we should love others. Love is described as patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not dishonoring, not self-seeking, not keeping record of wrongs, not delighting in evil but REJOICING in the Truth. Love protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. We are then reminded that love never fails.
God actually explains love as a selfless act. To be able to love another is to put others before yourself. Think on this: Would you be willing to lay down your life for a friend? How about an enemy? God loved us, He gave us - undeserving and sinful - a model, Jesus, in the flesh without sin to be our Savior. Jesus died and rose from the grave to save us, you and me, not himself.
So, how are you doing loving others? Not just because it is the Christmas season, and most of us are joyful during this time. There is something about Christmas that brings JOY. But, we must remember that we are created to love in all seasons. We are created to love others during their pain and trials. We are created to love others even in our own pain and suffering. We are created in the image of Christ which is perfection. I am not saying we are created to be perfect; we are created through perfection from Christ.
Loving others has always been somewhat of an easy task for me…well, for the most part. Not too long ago, there was a point in my life, where loving others was not easy at all. You see, during that valley I was hurting, the pain and struggle during that time was real. To be honest, I wondered if I would ever be back to my “old self.” Guess what...I am not. The Lord allowed me to grow to a deeper spiritual place that I would never have obtained without pain.
Depending on your journey at the moment, you may not want to hear this...but, the Lord takes the bad and creates something good. From my valley, I experienced pain, sadness, and guilt. As the Lord held me through that valley, He showed me a love I never knew before. He showed me how to face the pain and begin walking out of the valley not on my own but with His strength.
Even in our trials and pain, the Lord loves us. He is willing to walk beside us to guide us out of the valley. Are we willing to do that for others? Are we willing to love others during all of the seasons? Are we willing to love others during the bad to witness the good that the Lord has in store?
I will leave you with this: To be able to love the way Christ loves, you surrender yourself and walk by the Holy Spirit. This is a daily task, and is nothing that can be obtained on your own. Through Christ we can love others, even when we believe they are undeserving...because guess what, so are we! I encourage you to love one another more often.
The greatest commandments Jesus gives us in Matthew 22:37-38 are to
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
When you love the Lord, you walk with the Spirit. Walking with the Spirit allows loving your neighbor as yourself to be much easier.
Walking as a Disciple
A man coming home from work noticed his neighbor struggling with a large box in his front doorway. Desiring to help, he parks his car and quickly runs to pick up one side of the box. The two struggle and fight with the box...
A man coming home from work noticed his neighbor struggling with a large box in his front doorway. Desiring to help, he parks his car and quickly runs to pick up one side of the box. The two struggle and fight with the box for 10 minutes until finally the helpful neighbor sets his side of the box down and proclaims, “Friend, I don’t think we will ever get this box in the house!” Frustrated and bewildered the neighbor in need barks out, “In the house? I have been trying to get the box out of the house!”
I can think of countless embarrassing moments in my life where what I thought was going to be a help actually wasn’t. Has that ever happened to you? Many times we as believers can see what we think is a need and charge in to solve it, but actually end up stopping all progress and keeping the Kingdom from moving forward.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul lays down the tracks for how the believers are to live as the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:1-6
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
If we want to help the Kingdom of God move forward (help get the box where it is designed to go) then we must all understand what we are to do.
We are to walk worthy
What does it mean to walk in a manner worthy of our calling? To be a disciple, a part of the body of Christ, a member of the church, is a high calling. It is something that we are not worthy of in our sin, and when we are called out of our sin to follow and walk with him, we are given something we could never buy. We become children of God! We are now no longer our own, we were bought with a price! Our lives are found in Christ, and we live our life through him! Our lives are rescued by Christ, and his calling to follow him changes the direction of every decision we make.
We are to consider others greater than ourselves
In verse 2 we are urged to be humble, gentle, and patient with each other. Showing love and maintaining unity causes us to think less of ourselves and more of others. In the letter to the Romans, Paul tells us to outdo one another in showing honor (Rom 12:10). This can’t happen unless we believe that others’ needs are greater than our own needs.
We are to trust God and love his Church
God is serious about the church. It is his chosen method of reaching the world. And the church will not change in its make-up and in its purpose, ever! We are a body of disciples who are focused on making more disciples. We have the promise that God is over all things, working through all things, and in all things. If we trust that God is working through his church, then we must trust the church and serve with everything we have.
Reminder of the goal (being and building disciples)
We must never forget that the greatest thing we can ever do or be a part of is the body of Christ. Our faith in Christ is the only thing we truly have that can never be taken from us. This same faith is what we take to the people around us. We pray that they will place their trust in Christ as well. We need to be disciples who build disciples. This is how we came to Christ, and it is our duty to do the same for others around us!
A challenge for your life
Are you a disciple? Have you placed your trust in Christ and begun to follow him? You can begin that journey today! Place your trust in Christ and follow his lead found in the Bible. Join a small group and get in an environment where you can grow.
How are you being a disciple? What marks can you point to as evidence that you are a disciple? Could you be convicted in court of being a disciple of Christ?