WHAT COSTS YOU NOTHING TO GIVE, BUT WILL BE CHERISHED BY OTHERS?

SCRIPTURE:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  
(1 John 4:7)
And He has given us this command:  
Whoever loves God must also love his brother.  
(1 John 4:21)

MEDITATION:
If you conducted a survey and asked people 
“What is the most important emotion missing in the world?”  
most would probably respond with, “Love”.

Even though it doesn’t cost anything, 
it is something that many people want, but few are ready to give.
Why would anyone want to hold on to something 
that Jesus freely gave to all people?
He didn’t withhold it because someone seemed undeserving; 
He gave it to all without exceptions.

Why would Jesus do that?
Because He has a genuine love for everyone 
and He went to the cross to prove it.
It is also a characteristic that He desires 
in those who are called His children.
Believers should be identified as loving individuals.
If Jesus chose to love,
then what could possibly exempt Christians from loving as well?

When we look at history, we find that people didn’t always 
try to love people into having the same beliefs as them.
Instead, we see examples of man’s inhumanity to man.
We can see the instruments of torture 
that were used by religious people to force others to believe as they did.

We see this kind of treatment by some religious groups today.
Some not only torture those who have different beliefs, 
but they even murder them if they don’t succumb to their beliefs.
This is diametrically opposed 
to what Jesus taught to those who claim to have faith in Him.

Love is in stark contrast to coercion and that is why 
those who follow Christ should be easy to identify.
We are called to have a vertical love (for God) 
and a horizontal love (for our fellow men and women).
Love is a free commodity with an inexhaustible supply.

We could all agree 
that we will have to make changes in our attitudes in order to show love.
Things like bitterness, anger, deceit, gossip, arrogant pride, rudeness 
and being judgmental can greatly inhibit our ability to show love to others. 
All of our attitudes need to be governed by love 
in order for us to freely love others, and love God.

ACTION:
What attitudes are preventing you from loving others as you should?
How is your love for God?
Do you meet the qualifications 
the scriptures have outlined as a requirement for loving God?
Have you truly given Him control of your life, 
or do you have a tight grip on some things that you refuse to yield to Him?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your undeniable love for me. 
Help me to love others as you love me. Show me which attitudes 
are preventing me from loving others as I should. Reveal to me 
the things in my life that I have not given to You. Fill my heart 
and will with the kind of love Jesus displayed. He showed us 
how to love vertically and horizontally. Help me to have the same 
compassion as Your Son, Jesus Christ.”