HAVE THE ACTIONS OF OTHERS DAMAGED YOUR LOVE FOR THEM?
BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he
is good; his love endures forever.”
(Psalm 118:1)
MEDITATION:
We live in a world where nothing lasts forever, right? Cars wear out,
houses start to deteriorate, our bodies become weaker, our minds lose
their sharpness, and even relationships can disintegrate. It would be
great if all good things lasted forever, but they just don’t.
However, there is something that has always lasted, and will always last.
It never wears out, deteriorates, becomes weaker, loses its effectiveness,
or disintegrates. The Lord’s love has always endured and will continue
to endure.
What a refreshing thought! Even when others let us down or lose their love
for us, God never does. Any number of things can cause others to lose their
love for us, but nothing causes the Lord’s love of us to diminish. That doesn’t
mean He will not exercise discipline when needed, but even when He does,
it is from a heart full of love from the One who is concerned about our welfare.
Hopefully, when we are saved, we learn to have a love for others similar to the
Lord’s love for us. As we mature as believers and create a closer relationship
with the Lord, we can develop the type of love for God and others that does not
diminish or disintegrate as a result of someone’s words or another.
We may be disappointed in others at times, but just as the Lord’s love endures
for us when we disappoint Him, we shouldn’t allow an incident to destroy our
love for another person. An enduring love means we are capable of enduring
and absorbing the disappointments or offenses from others.
In order to develop an enduring love for others, we have to lose our selfishness.
When we are selfish, love can too easily be replaced with contempt and disdain
when someone does something that offends us. The truth is, it is NOT all about
us. We make mistakes and we should not be surprised when others also make
mistakes.
In addition, we have to learn to forgive even when they fail to apologize for their
actions. It doesn’t mean we condone their actions, but we love them regardless of
what they did. Jesus clearly says that if we expect to be forgiven, then we need to
forgive.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
(Matthew 6:12)
When we consider the enduring love of the Lord, we should not be able to
contain our heartfelt thankfulness. We need to learn to be grateful to Him
in words and deeds. We should decide to live a life that is less self-centered
and more dedicated to Jesus.
When we eat, we should remember there are many people in the world who
will go to bed hungry. When we enjoy the comforts of our cozy homes, we
should remember there are great numbers who have no homes to go to. When
we sit down in our automobiles, we should remember that some people cannot
afford even a bicycle.
In the Lord’s Prayer, we read,
“Give us this day our daily bread”
(Matthew 6)
Scripture teaches us that the good things of this life are the gifts from God,
and that He is the donor of all our blessings. Let us humbly get on our knees
and thank God for the blessings He has given us (both material and spiritual).
The blessings we have in life originate from the hands of God.
ACTION:
Have you ever paused and thought about all the Lord has given you?
Have you thanked Him for all of your blessings? To fully appreciate
the Lord’s love, try thanking Him for everything you have, For instance,
Have you ever thanked the Lord for a pet, silverware, car, lawn mower,
or air conditioning?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, when I think about all You have given me,
I am embarrassed that I have not thanked You often enough.
My prayer is that You will change my heart so that I will not
only become more appreciative of all Your blessings, but that
I will also learn to love others as You love me. Forgive me for
being selfish and allowing the actions of others to damage my
love for them. Remind me that I have offended You but You
have never stopped loving me. Thank You, Lord for how You
have blessed me and for Your never-ending love for me in spite
of my faults. Thank You, Jesus for showing me what true love
looks like when You went to the cross to pay my sin debt. Even
with all my faults, You still love me and for that I am eternally
grateful! Reveal to me the spiritual gift You have given me and
show me how to use it to express my love for You. Serving You
would give me great pleasure and remind me of how much I am
thankful for all You have done for me.”
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