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(1Jn 3:11) “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
As Christians, we sometimes have the tendency to place so much emphasis on what we consider the ‘Big’ duties of being followers of Christ (fasting, praying, tithing, offering) that we often neglect the most basic commandment that Jesus gave to all of his disciples.
(John 13:34) “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
Now don’t get me wrong — fasting, praying, tithing, and offering all have their place within the ministry, however they should not take precedence over the most important commandment given to us, to Love one another.
Jesus even depicted the importance of prioritizing love above sacrifice when he told his disciples the following:
(Mat 5:23-24 KJV) “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
it can’t get any clearer than that.
When speaking, Jesus often made it a priority to teach his disciples the importance of Love.
In (John 13:35) he even told them that their Love would Link them to him and to The Father. However it goes without saying that sometimes, this is easier said that done.
As humans, we naturally tend to base our love on the actions and behavior of an individual.
“If you are nice to me, If you help me, if you are my friend — then I will love you!”
However this is flawed because when we do this, our love becomes ‘biased’ and dependent upon factors that may not always remain consistent (a person’s kindness).
In the real world, people are not always kind and they are not always nice. However if our love is rooted solely in these unstable factors, the moment someone falls short of our expectation, our love for them will plummet as well.
But can you imagine what the world would be like if God’s love operated under the same set of rules and dependencies as ours?
Honestly, just think about it.
What would happen If God’s love for us decreased each time we sinned or did something that was less than pleasing to him?
Needless to say, we would all be in a rut.
Thankfully this is not the case, we know that God Loved us despite of our faults and our shortcomings. He didn’t wait until we began living right before he started loving us, instead he loved us first.
(Rom 5:8) “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
When we truly take into consideration God’s kindness towards us, loving our brethren becomes so much easier.
Yes they may not be perfect, but neither are we.
Yes they may make mistakes, but so do we.
It is God’s unconditional love for us that should motivate us to extend that same love towards others. It is not our place to determine whether they deserve it or not, instead we should love them because we know that God loves them.
So instead of basing our love for someone on their behavior towards us, how about we begin basing it on God’s love for us. Because no matter what is happening in the Universe, his Love is one thing that will never change.
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I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love...
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