God’s love — not like ours!

 

Today’s reading says that Christians tend to view the love of God in the same way that we love others, which is often selfishly and with impatience, suspicion, and conditions attached. That is, I most love those people who have characteristics that please me, and this can warp my idea of God’s love — thinking that He only loves me when I do the things that please Him.

This attitude is some of the reason Paul wrote to the Galatians. They were trying to please God by keeping rules so he wrote:

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (Galatians 3:2–3)

I understand this and am aware of the flesh and those selfish motives and actions that are contrary to living like Jesus. I’m also aware that loving others is not the same as my old nature’s version of love. Jesus said:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35)

God’s love is unconditional, wants the best for me and is well described, both by the written Word and His living Word. But still the flesh tries to ruin it. I’ve realized from these and other verses and by the conviction of the Holy Spirit that when another Christian loves me with that God-like love, I selfishly enjoy its appeal to my old nature when I should be seeing it as a gift from God to show me how to obey the above new commandment! The people who are unselfish and love others like Jesus loves are models, teachers, instructors — not only a wonderful gift from God, but sent to show me what I should be doing also.

Abiding in the love of God is not wrong. It is the only way to survive the storms of life. Several other Christians have shown me how to love others like Jesus does by simply being like Him and I need to learn from that, not just selfishly eat it up like a bratty kid who will not share her birthday cake. God does not give His love to me so I will hoard it, but so I will share it.

Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5)

The older King James version says: “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5) so I searched the meaning of “poured into” and the sense is: “to be expressed, be poured out.” That is, God loves me so that His love will go forth from me, not for me to hoard it for my own enjoyment. This gives new meaning to verses like these two:

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Hebrews 13:16)

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:13)

Surely the needs of others includes that amazing love. While sharing it with others, it will be a sacrifice, a giving up of my time, effort, and selfish I-wants, but such sharing is never going to leave me bereft for God’s love in inexhaustible. It never runs out. I can give it away and He pours more into my life.

PRAY: Of course I know this is true. It is the doing of it that often eludes me. Jesus, You are the source of all goodness and loving kindness, yet You have sent me several examples of how You want that to look in my life, not just for me to enjoy but to imitate. Thank You for Your sweet, unlimited love demonstrated. Enable me to be more teachable and to learn from and imitate these who are far more obedient than I have been.