Premeditated: to consider or plan an action beforehand. Love is a confusing term which has lots of emotional baggage and implications. Fortunately God is a God of clarity so when it comes to important things like love, he doesn't hide in meaningless platitudes.
John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.
The blessed Apostle does not speak of how we happen to be feeling. he doesn't mention what a jerk the other guy has been to us. See, the Love of the Christian is the overflow of a the fountain of Love that is Jesus Christ. We do not love someone because they happen to be very kind or they really deserve it. Such love is of the earth and will perish with it. The disciple's love is a lifestyle not based on the people around us. Loving is hard. Sacrificing for the people who don't want it. trying to be kind to that awkward coworker who doesn't fit in. We were never trained for this. Despite thousands of pages there's little good instruction in the art of Christian charity, and even fewer relevant examples. The only example that is really always applicable is the author of Love himself, Him whose birth we celebrate during these weeks at the close of the year. . From His love we learn to; I. Sacrifice for others. II. Look to the Father for approval, not humans. III. To love for the long haul. IV. The results are not under our jurisdiction. VI. Love always costs your life, sometimes you happen to also die in the process.
John 4:20-21 If anyone says, "I love God" and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who can not love his brother whom he has seen can not love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him: whoever loves God must love his brother.
Here we find the love test. The logic is flawless, the consequences inescapable. Humans are really good at worming out of awkward confrontations. We don't like to be held up to the light and be told, "you're doing it wrong, utterly and completely." In the love test we are given in no unclear terms the litmus test of love. Do we hate our brothers? Do we desire the ill, destruction of our fellow human beings? Maybe not, but do we consistently put our own wants above the needs of our fellow humans? This is not to make us unnecessarily guilty. As humans we are limited in our capacity to care for and love other people. We are called to be godly, that is god like not God himself. God loves everybody and has already sacrificed Himself for everybody. As little Jesus' all around the world we are called to follow in His steps. Not letting prejudice, hurt feelings, past wrongs or anything else get in the way of making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that is necessary for life and godliness.
Do not let your heart be troubled, go now and rest for you are weary with hardship and life's toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace.
Pax vobiscum until tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment