To be *told we should be loving is true but alone it is not helpful. Being loving is not something we can will ourselves to do, it comes from who we are.
And who is that? If we are in Christ, we are beloved children of God.
When we know we are loved, cherished, and valued, we will be loving. Being perfectly and infinitely loved frees us to love others. To use a biblical analogy if we abide - be, dwell, live - in the Vine we will bear much fruit. Without the love of Christ driving our conduct we can do nothing truly honoring to God (Jn 15:5,9). We are designed for love and to love others, we only lack the power, or I should say we lack the love that empowers us to love others.
That power is outside us and comes to us from the Source of love, i.e. God. When it does, it frees us from the need to be loved by others because we are already fully loved
When we know we are loved, cherished, and valued, we will be loving. Being perfectly and infinitely loved frees us to love others. To use a biblical analogy if we abide - be, dwell, live - in the Vine we will bear much fruit. Without the love of Christ driving our conduct we can do nothing truly honoring to God (Jn 15:5,9). We are designed for love and to love others, we only lack the power, or I should say we lack the love that empowers us to love others.
That power is outside us and comes to us from the Source of love, i.e. God. When it does, it frees us from the need to be loved by others because we are already fully loved
To follow the analogy, God the Father is the caretaker of the vine, the vine is the source of spiritual nutrients-sap to the branches. The branches bear fruit as the nutrients (love) flows through the Vine into the branches. As a result, instead of looking to others to meet our need for love -approval etc - we are freed by Gods love - we can now look outward and not inward - and no longer need to tend to our own need for love because God already tends to it. And because he does we can now see the need pf others and be the conduit of God's love to them. God's love for us, when we truly believe and receive it, frees us to love others.
Knowing this is humbling. If or when people are inclined to praise us for our loving character or good deeds we recognize how totally bankrupt we are without God loving us 1st. Without Christ, we can not love as God loves or as we naturally love ourselves. Our actions are not flowing out or giving to others, but are designed instead to "get" or take from others. In fact, we cannot receive God's love until we see how desperately we are in need of it and how impossible it is for us to love others sacrificially - i.e. truly - without receiving God's love first. Only he can satisfy our need for love, which frees us to love others. Truly, without him, without our constant abiding in his love, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5) i.e. we can not love the way God loves.
For a further discussion on being vs doing click here
For a discussion on how our need for love is infinite click here
For a discussion on how conflict is rooted in the absence of love click here
For a discussion on how God has already proved his love click here
For a discussion on how the essence of our work in sanctification is to believe click here.
Knowing this is humbling. If or when people are inclined to praise us for our loving character or good deeds we recognize how totally bankrupt we are without God loving us 1st. Without Christ, we can not love as God loves or as we naturally love ourselves. Our actions are not flowing out or giving to others, but are designed instead to "get" or take from others. In fact, we cannot receive God's love until we see how desperately we are in need of it and how impossible it is for us to love others sacrificially - i.e. truly - without receiving God's love first. Only he can satisfy our need for love, which frees us to love others. Truly, without him, without our constant abiding in his love, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5) i.e. we can not love the way God loves.
For a further discussion on being vs doing click here
For a discussion on how our need for love is infinite click here
For a discussion on how conflict is rooted in the absence of love click here
For a discussion on how God has already proved his love click here
For a discussion on how the essence of our work in sanctification is to believe click here.
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*We think these are only words of obedience, but they are words of love and promise. Promise of what? Of his steadfast love. That he is the Vine through which this love and life flows to us causing us to be fruitful - obedient. When we believe these words we bear much fruit.
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Grace to you
Jim Deal