1 Timothy 1:5
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscious and a sincere faith.
Love...
And how do we love? We must have a pure heart. We must have a good conscious. We must have a sincere faith.
But what about that person that is making it so difficult for us to truly love them? Where does the responsibility lie with them? For it would be easy for us to genuinely love them if they would only make themselves lovable. If they would stop lying, if they would stop the dirty looks and malice attitude, then we would have no problem loving them.
But that's not how it works no matter how much we, ourselves, try to argue it to be. Nowhere here does it mention the other person. The commandment and the accountability to follow it lies at our feet......and this is where it gets hard.
In today's world, we've got to stand up for ourselves. We've been taught and encouraged to always clear our name or that of our family. We have bought into the idea that 'ourselves' is more than anyone else. So, we can all get along as long as you follow certain rules and basic manners. But many times this doesn't even allow us to love the person but rather just to tolerate them for the sake of appearances, work relations or family dynamics.
The ability to love comes from within ourselves....within our own motives and hearts. It is ours alone to own. A discipline that each of us must develop in order to truly be able to extend love. Our only motivation must be to love....not for our gain but to simply love. It seems, though, that in our world today, we have even lost what love is....Remember, love is patient, kind, doesn't envy or boast, is not proud, rude or self-seeking. Love is not easily angered, keeps no records of wrong, does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth. Love always protects, trusts, always hopes and perseveres.
Love never fails.
But that is all impossible for us to do, yes? For if others only could see all of the faults that we see in the other person, then all would understand that our inability to love them is completely justified.
But, yet, the ability to love isn't built through anyone else....but rather through ourselves. So if we find ourselves impatient, unkind, boastful or proud. If we are rude, look out for our own interests above all else or have a temper that is easily provoked. If we can list every wrong that anyone has ever committed against us, while patting ourselves on the back for being able to still speak to them. When we find ourselves delighting in evil and neglecting the Truth, as we become less protective, less trusting, less hopeful and with the inability to persevere. When we look around and we see failure not in ourselves but all around us.....we must search ourselves. Honestly.
Christ, personally, lived and walked among those that by all accounts were unbelievably unkind to Him. Yet when He hung from the cross, He did not read a list of names identifying those that because of their bad actions were exempt from His death. He died for all of us....each and every one. He gave us an example. An example not just in how we should love but an example of how one with a pure heart must live...in, yet set apart from this world. He lived with a good conscious even when wronged....the ultimate peacemaker. He demonstrated pure faith to the Father through prayer and praise....never once pointing to Himself.
It is a choice....that begins and ends with us. We can't do it alone. We have to let Him love through us...but, first, we must be a willing vessel desiring above all else to live a life that is truly worth living. For the goal of all of this...each and every bit, is love.
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscious and a sincere faith.
Love...
And how do we love? We must have a pure heart. We must have a good conscious. We must have a sincere faith.
But what about that person that is making it so difficult for us to truly love them? Where does the responsibility lie with them? For it would be easy for us to genuinely love them if they would only make themselves lovable. If they would stop lying, if they would stop the dirty looks and malice attitude, then we would have no problem loving them.
But that's not how it works no matter how much we, ourselves, try to argue it to be. Nowhere here does it mention the other person. The commandment and the accountability to follow it lies at our feet......and this is where it gets hard.
In today's world, we've got to stand up for ourselves. We've been taught and encouraged to always clear our name or that of our family. We have bought into the idea that 'ourselves' is more than anyone else. So, we can all get along as long as you follow certain rules and basic manners. But many times this doesn't even allow us to love the person but rather just to tolerate them for the sake of appearances, work relations or family dynamics.
The ability to love comes from within ourselves....within our own motives and hearts. It is ours alone to own. A discipline that each of us must develop in order to truly be able to extend love. Our only motivation must be to love....not for our gain but to simply love. It seems, though, that in our world today, we have even lost what love is....Remember, love is patient, kind, doesn't envy or boast, is not proud, rude or self-seeking. Love is not easily angered, keeps no records of wrong, does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth. Love always protects, trusts, always hopes and perseveres.
Love never fails.
But that is all impossible for us to do, yes? For if others only could see all of the faults that we see in the other person, then all would understand that our inability to love them is completely justified.
But, yet, the ability to love isn't built through anyone else....but rather through ourselves. So if we find ourselves impatient, unkind, boastful or proud. If we are rude, look out for our own interests above all else or have a temper that is easily provoked. If we can list every wrong that anyone has ever committed against us, while patting ourselves on the back for being able to still speak to them. When we find ourselves delighting in evil and neglecting the Truth, as we become less protective, less trusting, less hopeful and with the inability to persevere. When we look around and we see failure not in ourselves but all around us.....we must search ourselves. Honestly.
Christ, personally, lived and walked among those that by all accounts were unbelievably unkind to Him. Yet when He hung from the cross, He did not read a list of names identifying those that because of their bad actions were exempt from His death. He died for all of us....each and every one. He gave us an example. An example not just in how we should love but an example of how one with a pure heart must live...in, yet set apart from this world. He lived with a good conscious even when wronged....the ultimate peacemaker. He demonstrated pure faith to the Father through prayer and praise....never once pointing to Himself.
It is a choice....that begins and ends with us. We can't do it alone. We have to let Him love through us...but, first, we must be a willing vessel desiring above all else to live a life that is truly worth living. For the goal of all of this...each and every bit, is love.
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