Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 1 John 3:18 NLT
Has anyone ever told you they love you and then you never hear from them? They don’t call, text, return text, call or send you a message they are praying when you have a sick loved one, don’t meet a need when they know you have one? I am not talking about romantic love, I am talking about Godly love which is the reflection of our scripture.
One day as I was leaving church a lady was getting into her car. As she saw me making my way toward mine, she opened her door and called out, “I love you, Juliana! See you tonight!” I waved and called back out to her, “I love you, too….okay, I’ll be here!” After I said this I heard a man say, “Do you really?” I looked and in the the parking lot walking toward me I recognized this man as being from the church. I didn’t know at the time he was a young convert and this was an honest question he was asking. I do love this lady. She is very dear to my heart! I told him I did and that it wasn’t just a cliche’.
As I continued to walk on, the Lord spoke to me and said, “You will truly know you are one of my disciples by the love you have one for another.” When we become born again, we no longer walk in “like”, but we walk in love for the “love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts.” Romans 5:5 The Bible says also in 1 John 4:20 ”If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” God did not hold back any punches on this subject did He? We know we are walking in the light of God if we are walking in love.
God gave me a really good illustration of this years ago. My best friend of 20 plus years, had done something (she had gotten mad over something trivial) and I just excused it as exhaustion. She stays very busy with many things! Someone else had done the exact same thing, but this person I didn’t really like and I thought some unkind thoughts toward this person! I thought of her as a drama queen, immature, and just plain silly! As I thought these thoughts God spoke to me. He said, “You have a tolerance for your friend’s mistakes, but no tolerance for this woman you don’t like….that isn’t walking in love…that is walking in “like”! That hit me like a ton of bricks! Then He spoke this verse to my heart…
44 But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 [b]To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that?
47 And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that?” Matthew 5:44-47 Amplified Bible
In other words, it doesn’t take much to love the ones we like. Even heathens love the ones they like and are in their “social and family circles”. The mark of a true Christian is to love with the love of God, which is unconditional, the ones that are unlovable! When we walk in this kind of love we are quick to forgive, we don’t take offense, and we have compassion when compassion was not always shown to us! This takes walking led and directed by the Holy Spirit because as mere humans this is next to impossible to “will” ourselves to do! Thank God we have Him to be our “helper and teacher”!
Purpose today, my dear reader, to show love not only in words, but in deeds! Again, we must be imitators of God and God is love!
Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoyed it and that you come away with something that has blessed you! I will see you soon!
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