1 Corinthians 16:14
Do everything in love.
What would this world be like if everyone, everywhere, did everything in love? If the Golden Rule, which appears in some form in the eight major world religions, was adhered to, how would our lives be transformed? If all people genuinely loved their neighbors as themselves, would we, at long last, see God's Kingdom here on earth?
If it were easy to do everything in love, we would have realized an idyllic existence thousands of years ago. Even those of us who love God and love ourselves don't always acknowledge or act upon the needs of our neighbors around us. Comfortable in our insular cocoons, we often fail to place ourselves in their shoes, thinking of how we would wish them to react were the tables turned.
How much more difficult is it, then, to love others for the persons who, through some tragedy, trauma, or abuse in their lives, are incapable of loving themselves? They long to love who they are, but their guilt, shame, and fear from memories of belittlement, bullying, or other maltreatment by those in whom they trusted still haunt them. There's a gaping wound where love for self should dwell. How is it possible for them to follow Jesus' commandment to love others as we love ourselves?
And, what about those who deny God's existence? Where are they? What gives meaning and purpose to their lives? What motivates them to love at all? These people, in the grand scheme of things, are the most to be pitied. Their deviance from the truth is reason to lament and begs for vigilant prayer.
Love of God, love of self, love for others - our earthly Holy Trinity keeps us balanced, grounded, as we move forward in this unpredictable, and often perilous, journey called life. Just as a three-legged stool will collapse when one support is removed, so will we when one integral part of love is absent. To do everything in love, all three must be in place.
And, no, it isn't easy . . .
Will you pray with me?
Dear Heavenly Father, we are far from perfect in our ability to give love where and when it is needed. We are broken and sinful, in need of your precious Son, Jesus, our Savior, to heal and forgive us, to teach us how to do all things in love. Fill us with your blessed Holy Spirit that we might shine your glorious love into all the world.
Amen.
Readings
Psalms 31 or 35
Ezra 3:1-13
1 Corinthians 16:10-24
Matthew 12:22-32
Good Morning Martha:
ReplyDeleteMy blog column today SORT of mirrors yours:
http://cjpwisdomandlife.com/2011/10/21/adaptive-beings/
Love is all there is.
The sooner we realize this the sooner we can take the next step.
--
Chris
Good morning, Chris!
ReplyDeleteI will be sure to check your blog today - it's always a great read!
I agree - love is the bottom line in life. Without it, we have nothing . . .
Blessings always!
i am on my knees _/\_ and do feel the pray <3
ReplyDeleteHow true Martha! People who cannot love themselves or give love are the poorest of the lot. Love can create magic and wonders and yet so few of us believe in it to experience its magic. Loved it
ReplyDeleteMany atheist contend that emotions, such as love, are the product of evolution, the purpose of which is simply to perpetuate the species. Of course, I do not know how something that only exists as a process, such as evolution, if it exists, can even have a purpose. Purpose requires intelligence. Evolution is not an intelligent process. If it were, then there would be intelligence that created it. But I digress.
ReplyDeleteLove is a spiritual commodity, not a natural commodity. Love is the spiritual affinity God has imparted to all spirits toward all other spirits. While in the natural, those spirits interact through the natural interface of an intelligent mind. Humans love. Animals love. All intelligent beings in the natural world love. But love felt in the natural originates in the spiritual.
Amoeba's do not love. Yet they procreate. Insects do not love, that I can tell, yet they procreate. So love may facilitate procreation in certain instances. But love is not the reason for procreation and it is not therefore the result of evolution.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that who should believe in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
God's love is infinite. Any love we feel is love imparted from God through the spirit of those who love us, conveyed through their given natural intelligence to our natural intelligence and then received in our spirits. Our spirits tell our minds that we are loved. The mind reacts to love.
But the natural mind can easily filter out spiritual commodities such as love. It can be taught by tragedy, trauma, or abuse to filter out the love of the spirit. But where love does not inhabit, other spiritual commodities will soon fill the void. Hatred, self-hatred, angst, fear, these are all spiritual commodities that enter the mind via the ungodly spirit.
The natural mind can become cluttered considering natural things, resulting in the rejection or ignorance of spiritual things. Rejection or ignorance of God is the rejection of love. The ruler of the natural world prefers it that way, gains power against God that way.
And so the only purpose the atheist has in life, is to live, and then stop living. There is nothing beyond that, and therefore no hope for anything beyond that, and therefore no hope for anything within that. And yes, that outlook, or lack thereof, is to be pitied. Even if the atheist is right, and those who believe in God are wrong, that truth would be a pitiful truth.
Thanks for these thoughts this morning. They inspire communication from the spirit.
Blessings throughout the day!
-Hank
Thank you, everyone, for stopping by today!
ReplyDelete@Roy - always a good place to be! :)
@Rimly - Love is the miracle! We love because He first loved us.
@Hank - I love your "communication from the spirit"! As I said to Rimly, love is from God; it is our gift because He loved us first and, as you quoted, gave His only Son to save us from ourselves.
Blessings all!
Love the prayer, especially the last sentence. Did you write it?
ReplyDelete