The chocolate will be eaten, the flowers will fade and get thrown away eventually, and the cards may or may not get saved for years.
"Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection,and take delight in honoring each other." (Romans 12:9-10, NLT)
As in last Monday, the question again arises: How are we to love? Paul answers the question powerfully:
- Love does not wear a mask. True love is free from all pretense. Love will not disguise itself to gain something from another person. There is no personal agenda when loving from a pure heart.
- Love hates evil and holds onto the good. True love will not tolerate mean and hurtful behavior. True love will hold tightly, like glue, to acting and reacting in a just and merciful manner to others.
- Love is genuine. Do we love one another, deeply, as if we were a family? Love displays a mutual concern and a commitment to others.
- Love honors others. Love will not seek to outdo or outshine others. Love thinks of others as better than oneself, and seeks the best interest of others.
"God doesn't want us to just study Him like He's an academic project. He wants us to become love."
(Bob Goff, Everybody Always, prologue)
Love must rule in all our relationships in our homes, churches, and communities. Jesus put it this way:
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35, NIV)
Let’s make the love of Jesus recognizable to the world around us!
Jesus' idea of love is so much better than the world's idea! And I love the quote about becoming love. That book is waiting on my Kindle and I hope to read it soon!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have read the book, it still sits on my desk :) It continues to challenge me to love everybody always, and everywhere I go. You will be blessed when you read it!
ReplyDeleteFollowing Jesus' example of love is a beautiful thing. Just the other day I was explaining to our grandson what it means when someone loves you...how they should behave and how they should treat you. The world can be a confusing place especially when someone says they love but their actions are contrary to their words. The bullet points above are important to remember and to put into action!
ReplyDeleteJoan, I so appreciated your thoughts. We cannot just know and understand love, we must put love into action. Your grandson is blessed to have these conversations with you!
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