A Weekly Word from your Pastor
Love
“…and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13
Most of us really do not understand love. Matter of fact we define love by attaching a condition. For instance we don’t say it exactly, but we infer it. “I love you if…” “I’ll love you when…” “l love you because…” Our love is conditional.
To love unconditional is the goal of discipleship. Jesus was very clear to His disciples at the Last Supper as recorded in John’s gospel. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus’ love was unconditional. He loved others in spite of all of their baggage and their plight in life. He modeled for us the way to love others by loving the unlovable.
Consider Jesus love for the neglected, the prostitutes, the lepers, the blind, lame and demon possessed. Jesus went about reaching out to those who no one else paid attention too. The love of Jesus is the love that knows no boundaries.
Today we love mostly because we are loved. We look for love in return. We look for the payoff for love. We do this in life and in the church. We look for members to join us who can add something to our body. We don’t necessary look to those who have nothing to offer. We love so that it benefits us.
How much better it would be if we just loved. If our love was not predicated on what others brought to the table. What if we loved just because Jesus loves us? You see we brought nothing to the table where Jesus was concerned. We didn’t deserve to be loved. Jesus didn’t owe us His love. Jesus loved us because He wanted to, not because we were special. So we need to be careful not to love others for any others reason than the fact that they live and breathe. We do not have the choice as disciples of Jesus to pick and choose whom we love. And it is more than just saying we love them. It is showing them. Just because people do not look like you or believe the same things as you does not give you reason to not love them. And when we love others we reach out to them and show them that love.
I pray that we may all learn to love like Jesus loved us. I pray that we would treat others as Jesus treated us. I pray that we would be able to show genuine love in our actions and attitudes no matter the cost. Remember you can do a great many things in the name of Jesus, but without love you are nothing.
Dear Jesus help us to love as you taught us to love. Help us to give special attention to those who need loving. May out actions and attitudes reflect your love in all we do. Help us to break away from prejudices other things that get in our way of loving others as you have loved us. In Your precious name we pray, Amen.