1 John 4:7-8 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.
Love...so many people try to define it but the love John is talking about in these verses is not a love we're used to giving. Agape love. It is a selfless love, a sacrificial love, an unconditional love. It is the highest kind of love. It's immeasurable and incomparable. It's concern for others before there is any thought of concern for ourselves. This kind of love is breathtaking and overwhelming. It makes our heart stop and brings tears to our eyes. To experience this kind of love is a dream come true. This kind of love makes people lay down their lives for others, others who may not deserve it or earned it or asked for it. This love is unbelievable. It's a love like no other love. It's a love we all dream of experiencing. It's a love we'd like to all believe in, but is this kind of love real?
Are we humans able to love like this? Some are, but unfortunately many can't. Many find it hard to let go of past hurts and hangups. Many find it difficult to love those who hurt us. Many of us relive past events and keep a list of wrongs certain people have done to us. Many of us go through this life thinking we know what real love looks like and hows its supposed to feel. But we have a very wrong version of the love God expects us to have towards others. Agape love is not sentimental and sappy. It's not even a brotherly love feeling. It can be difficult and hard and messy. It's the type of love that is not shown in what you say, but rather in what you do.
Well, let's look a what happened 15 years ago yesterday. Firefighters, police officers, and everyday human beings stepped up and risked their lives to rescue people after the attacks. They had a job to do yes, but instead of focusing on their own lives, instead of saving their own lives, they climbed stairwells, walked in flames and hot coals, they risked their lives and many gave up their life to save others. They didn't stop to consider whether that person deserved to be helped or loved, they just did it. They didn't stop to look at someone's past mistakes, they just loved them by saving them. Mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, along with many other family members and friends cry every September 11th while remembering how much they miss that loved one. They gave their life so others could live. That is the love Jesus commanded us to have.
John 15:17 This is my command: Love each other.
Notice this is not a suggestion. It is a command from Jesus Christ! Love each other. Agape love each other. IF we are true believers in Jesus Christ, IF we truly believe the Bible 100%, than we are commanded to agape love everyone (Period). No exceptions are given, no excuses are allowed. Agape Love Each Other. As believers we are to love others as God loves us. As believers we are to love everyone. Not just love the way we are used to loving, but we are commanded to love others the way God loves us and IF we are true believers we totally understand that this kind of love can cost us. It can cost us our pride and selfishness. Yes when we Agape love others, we may have to swallow our pride and bury our selfish ways so we can love those who are unlovable and undeserving in our eyes.
Let me be really honest here, this agape love stuff is painful and difficult. It isn't always easy to love someone who has hurt us. It isn't always a good, sappy feeling to love someone who doesn't deserve it. I don't want to agape love people who hurt me, but Jesus commanded me too. It's not easy for me to erase the list of wrongs I have kept for years and sacrifice my pride and myself to agape love others. It has been painful to deal with the truth of how I love others, but I'm so glad I swallowed my pride and burned up my list I had of every wrong in my past. It has been very freeing to release that burden and just agape love others the way I have been commanded to.
The way I figure it is that if God can agape love me with all my list of sins, with all the distractions that keep me from Him, if God can agape love me when I definitely don't deserve it, who am I to not learn to love like He loves me. After all God is love, not a brotherly love but God is agape love in it's highest form. He came down to Earth in human form as Jesus. He was tortured and beaten beyond belief. Then He was crucified on a cross for me and for you. He agape loves us so much that He laid down His life so that we could be saved from the punishment we deserve.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of agape love and that is how we are commanded to love. Jesus doesn't have a list of wrongs we have done, so why do we? If we are to truly agape love others like God loves us we need to throw away that list of wrongs and just allow the Holy Spirit to teach us to love like God. Are you willing to swallow your pride? Are you willing to put others before yourself? Are you willing to throw away that list of wrongs you've been keeping for years? Are you willing to agape love others? Please join me in starting an agape love revolution.
Yes, I am in and went after this for many a years in hurt and pain and pride in the way many a times as well as much guilt in sin again and again, trying to get forgiven all over again, yes to the point I ran out of energy in me to continue in
ReplyDeleteThis was like as if everyday, I went out to the beach with a beach ball, filled with air, and my Job was to go into the water and dunk that beach ball under the water and hold it there for at least 8 hours everyday to attain peace, love and Joy
pretty tired under Law at the end of each day, Exhausted in trying to keep that Beach Ball under the water. I came to the end of me trying to do this and gave up
When I heard a still small voice say, I have already done this task for you.
I replied WHAT????????????????????????????????? I must do this I have to or God will not allow me in
I must Love all it is God's command I do this.
I heard so how yuo doing in that? Not well I replied, will you then let go and let me dunk it as have in my death fro you to live new?
I did not Fathom this at first, but I said yes, and waht a life of adversities to see differently thatn the way I have been taught by religion to be
So not easy to Fathom and only Father can reveal this to anyone personally, no one else can, but to be a messenger of the seed to be planted or watered as led of God not self or this world
To cross over now in Spirit and truth of this done work of Son where all got forgiven first in Son's death once, for everyone whether a believer or not this is done.
Not easy to Fathom this, yet is truth, in Father's View and Son only as one fro you in beleif to that you have chosen and are and have been being taught since day one you decided to believe him in this done work
Until I finalized I am forgiven by God through Son in Son's death alone and remain as forgiven even if I sin again and boy have I
I could not see the new life given me, being too focused on trying not to sin.
When I saw this is what was keeping me in it, trying not to sin was keeping me stuck in it. For in essence I was not in 100% belief to hisd done work of Son for the new life in the risen Christ to lead me.
Now that I accepted this as done, There was is a long road ahead of bad habits I got caught up in
And had to learn waht renew the mindset meant in Romans 12:2
So I gave up to myself trying to not do, to trusting the risen Son in Father's Spirit and truth to train me in Faith how to and not do any works to this of my own ever again.
still learning this.
training wheels on as Fatrhger be the teacher in Living Son as High Priest to lead
As you know this and are learning this too Sister, Thank you for the insight that helps me too