EVIDENCE OF GENUINE GODLY LOVE IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER
BIBLE PASSAGE:
Be completely humble and gentle; be
patient, bearing with one another in love.
(Ephesians 4:2)
MEDITATION:
Sometimes God is like…
“I need you to love people”
And I’m like
“Ugh, but they are so annoying!”
And God’s like…
“You know I love you all the time!”
And I’m like…
“But I’m not annoying, I’m delightful!”
And God’s like…
“…………………………………………….”
And I’m like…
“Fair enough”
The word “love” can be found almost 700 times in the Bible. Why would
this word be found so often in scriptures? Because it is important to God
and should be important to us, as well. The love of God is the reason He
has given us a path to salvation.
When we receive His salvation, our lives are changed so that we now have
a desire to follow Him and be more like His Son, Jesus. Since God IS love,
then love should be a distinguishing characteristic in the life of those who
are true followers of Jesus.
Love is the cornerstone for Christian living, which means that everything
we say and do should originate from a heart of love. Love makes it possible
for us to tolerate the habits, faults, and personalities of others. Love prevents
us from being jealous or envious of others and the things they have (such as
possessions, talents, skills, etc.). Love teaches us how to develop humility,
and it prevents us from feeling superior and condescending toward others.
Love gives us the capacity to be gentle. The word ‘gentle’ does not mean
weak, but rather it is a ‘controlled strength’. It’s similar to a domesticated
animal that doesn’t lose its strength when it is tamed; instead, it is brought
under control and can accomplish much with proper guidance. It is the same
with a gentle Christian – we can accomplish much when we are brought under
the control of the Holy Spirit.
Love helps us to pray for others, because we have a genuine concern
for their welfare (happiness, health, prosperity, safety, salvation, and
overall well-being). Love prevents our irritations with others to grow
into a seething anger. Love gives us the ability to look for the good in
others, instead of zeroing in on their faults. Love teaches us how to be
tolerant and forgiving, because we remember how God has treated us.
Love warns us whenever we are tempted to participate in gossiping about
others. Love teaches us to encourage and lift the spirits of others. Love stifles
egotism, and our motivation to please ourselves (sometimes at the expense of
others); our selfish attitudes are replaced with a desire to consider the needs
of others ahead of ourselves.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
not looking to your own interests but each of you
to the interests of the others.
(Philippians 2:3-4)
Love teaches us to have the patience to wait on God’s timing, instead
of lagging behind or trying to go ahead of Him. Love gives us a desire
to worship and praise God for being our Heavenly Father, and for all
the blessings He has given us. Love provides us with the capacity to be
at peace with others, and with ourselves.
When we have love, we have a greater appreciation for God’s blessings,
and a greater desire to participate in His earthly ministry. Love makes
us aware of the spiritual gift the Lord has given us, and creates in us a
desire to courageously and diligently use our gift to serve Him.
There are different kinds of gifts,
but the same Spirit distributes them.
(1 Corinthians 12:4)
We could list many more attributes of genuine Christian love, but this
short list gives us a good idea of the importance of love as the foundation
for Christian living. There is a distinct difference between Godly love and
a misguided love. For instance, misdirected love can cause us to become
frustrated and miss out on God’s purpose for our lives.
Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied
with their income. This too is meaningless.
(Ecclesiastes 5:10)
ACTION:
Have you allowed the love of God to permeate your entire being?
Have you noticed the changes in your own life because you have
allowed love to become your cornerstone for living? Have you
exchanged your selfishness for a heart of love?
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved
children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ
loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God.
(Ephesians 5:1-2)
Are you following the One you claim to be following? Can others
see a glimpse of the love of Jesus in you? Are there any instances
you can think of where you have shown Godly love toward others?
Can you think of a time recently where you made a special effort
to encourage and lift the spirits of someone else?
Can you think of a time when someone did or said something to you
that was encouraging and lifted your spirits, because you knew they
were thinking about you? We all welcome love and encouragement
into our own lives, so it is reasonable for us to understand why we
should follow what is called the ‘golden rule’,
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
(Luke 6:31)
As followers of Jesus, if we want others to reach out to us when we
are hurting, sick, or troubled, then we need to proactively reach out
to others when we are aware of their struggles. This is one way we
can allow the love of God to flow freely through us.
Satan wants us to ‘do nothing’ and will try to convince us that we don’t
know how we should effectively encourage someone else. However, God
will always provide a path for encouraging others, because it is one of
the ways His love can be channeled to someone He wants to help.
We should take a pause and think about others we know who are struggling,
and how God may be encouraging us to allow Him to ‘touch’ them (maybe
an answer to their prayers) through us. God cares about them, and wants us
to realize that we are an important part of what He is doing in the lives of
others. If we expect to be an effective servant of His, then we need to be filled
with His love.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me of Your
love and the love of Jesus when He went to the cross for
me, so I could receive Your salvation. Forgive me if I
have not been cultivating a Godly love in my own life.
Help me to replace my selfishness, self-centeredness,
arrogant pride, and egotism, with the type of love Jesus
has shown us in Your Word. Thank You in advance for
how I will be blessed and how I will become a witness for
You when I make love the cornerstone in my own life.”
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