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It is such a dangerous thing to ask God to help you to learn to love. Anyone can love those that love them - or at least are kind, or friendly, or even simply civil to them, but do we dare ask God to show us how to become more like him in who, and how we "love"? Does that really mean 'love' everyone? Why is it that after a few years in a personal relationship with God, and learning about two things that please him - 'Love' & 'Faith', then praying that he would help me grow in both of these areas so that I could attempt to display my thankfullness for his gracious salvation, that I seem to be reminded frequently about my prayer to "learn to love"? (Often it is when I am interacting with one of his children whom I sometimes believe he has scatterred in my life just to remind me of this prayer.) Now here's where it gets a little bit difficult; I am not talking about a love that simply reflects SOME of the criteria used to describe "love". (for example 1 Cor. 13.) Those are the easy parts - basically it sums up the golden rule of DOING unto others as you wish they would do for you. No, I'm describing 'love' as it is implied in this verse....
What does it mean "God so loved us"? He loves us like so... I think it means that he desires what is best for us even if it means he has to allow us, or even 'cause' us to feel uncomfortable - even 'hurt'. How much more loving is it to gently admonish someone when they are not exhibiting Christ-like behaviors then it is to ignore it? That does not contravene directives like be patient and kind, hold no grudges, be loyal, or even try not to take offense at every little irritant. Those are "attitudes" directives, not "action" directives. What the church of today still needs is believers loving each other AS God loved us. Keeping our hearts pure and humble but raising the bar of righteousness high enough to shine in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom we are supposed to shine like lights in the world. Our God has shown us how to love by representing himself as Jesus to us, and teaching such demanding things that the world could only take a few years of his "love". Lord, help us to learn to love one another as you loved us by speaking the truth in love and serving each other with a loving heart.
4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. |
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