"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Ephesians 5:1-2 As I read this verse I have to ask myself am I loving with an uncondisional love, a giving love, and a love that is pure to all around me? We love to put those three little words out there for others, "I love you", but with those words are our actions showing the same thing? As a flower blooms, it grows wider, it grows deeper, and it has an aroma that just gets sweeter with each day of growth. A rose blooms with a beauty that only God could have given. Each one is different, each color unique to its own, and has a fragrance that wants you to keep smelling it, you want to see it, touch it, and it is inviting to our eyes, and all our senses. Is the love that I am showing to others as inviting as the example Christ gave me to follow? He isn't quick to judge, He isn't quick to anger, He isn't keeping score of all my wrongs, He doesn't assume things like we do when we have no idea of the whole picture. He is quick to forgive, He is quick to love, and He throws out all our wrongs without keeping score. I cannot say that I do these things daily. I can say that I need to allow Christ to love through me more, and I need to take a deeper look to Him daily to love those around me uncondisionally. We can get caught up in our lives so much, we stop paying attention to those around us. We can get so angry that life isn't going just as we would want it. We can take our deepest fears and hurts and take them out on others without a thought until after when the hurt is already there. At times we don't see our own mistakes until they are done to us, and then our eyes are opened to what we have allowed to take place in our lives. We want to be loved, we want to be accepted, but are we giving love freely, without doubt to another? Christ gave all He had for us, He gave all. That is our example to live by. As I have been hurt, a friend shared with me, not to give up, not to give up hope, but to pray each day and share with Christ my heart and search for His desires, praying in His name for all He wants in my life. We are not going to experience love to the fullest unless we are able to give all we have, and unless we are willing for our hearts to be broken. Love doesn't contain fear, or we could say there is no fear with love, real, true love. If our Savior was willing to give all at whatever cost we too, I too should be willing to follow in His steps. I need to love my brother and sister with all I have to give. That means my love, my time, my energy, my ear, my shoulder, to give of myself and open my heart to another is showing the love of Christ. I wish I could say I showed that love to all, that is something that is what Christ is showing me here, to love all those around me, not just those who love me, but even those who talk behind my back, those who judge me, those who do not show me love. But I should be willing to love them with all I have. Even when we may not like someone, we are still to love them, to show them who Christ is through us. That isn't always easy, but with Christ living in us, showing us, we too can love as He does. In love there is forgiveness, if there is no forgiveness can there really be love? Each day the Lord shows me greater things to learn and helps me to see clearly, I just need to follow Him with no fear, never giving up hope, for if we give up on hope are we not giving up on Him? I want to love, I want to be loved, if I am not willing to love than what can I expect in return? To you Lord, I say thank you for loving me, for giving all for me, and for your uncondisional love that forever will speak Your name. Love is a verb, its an action that shows what is in our hearts. So, what is in your heart today? May we look to Christ for our example of love for everyone we meet~ 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." Thursday, September 17, 2009
are we walking in love?
"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Ephesians 5:1-2 As I read this verse I have to ask myself am I loving with an uncondisional love, a giving love, and a love that is pure to all around me? We love to put those three little words out there for others, "I love you", but with those words are our actions showing the same thing? As a flower blooms, it grows wider, it grows deeper, and it has an aroma that just gets sweeter with each day of growth. A rose blooms with a beauty that only God could have given. Each one is different, each color unique to its own, and has a fragrance that wants you to keep smelling it, you want to see it, touch it, and it is inviting to our eyes, and all our senses. Is the love that I am showing to others as inviting as the example Christ gave me to follow? He isn't quick to judge, He isn't quick to anger, He isn't keeping score of all my wrongs, He doesn't assume things like we do when we have no idea of the whole picture. He is quick to forgive, He is quick to love, and He throws out all our wrongs without keeping score. I cannot say that I do these things daily. I can say that I need to allow Christ to love through me more, and I need to take a deeper look to Him daily to love those around me uncondisionally. We can get caught up in our lives so much, we stop paying attention to those around us. We can get so angry that life isn't going just as we would want it. We can take our deepest fears and hurts and take them out on others without a thought until after when the hurt is already there. At times we don't see our own mistakes until they are done to us, and then our eyes are opened to what we have allowed to take place in our lives. We want to be loved, we want to be accepted, but are we giving love freely, without doubt to another? Christ gave all He had for us, He gave all. That is our example to live by. As I have been hurt, a friend shared with me, not to give up, not to give up hope, but to pray each day and share with Christ my heart and search for His desires, praying in His name for all He wants in my life. We are not going to experience love to the fullest unless we are able to give all we have, and unless we are willing for our hearts to be broken. Love doesn't contain fear, or we could say there is no fear with love, real, true love. If our Savior was willing to give all at whatever cost we too, I too should be willing to follow in His steps. I need to love my brother and sister with all I have to give. That means my love, my time, my energy, my ear, my shoulder, to give of myself and open my heart to another is showing the love of Christ. I wish I could say I showed that love to all, that is something that is what Christ is showing me here, to love all those around me, not just those who love me, but even those who talk behind my back, those who judge me, those who do not show me love. But I should be willing to love them with all I have. Even when we may not like someone, we are still to love them, to show them who Christ is through us. That isn't always easy, but with Christ living in us, showing us, we too can love as He does. In love there is forgiveness, if there is no forgiveness can there really be love? Each day the Lord shows me greater things to learn and helps me to see clearly, I just need to follow Him with no fear, never giving up hope, for if we give up on hope are we not giving up on Him? I want to love, I want to be loved, if I am not willing to love than what can I expect in return? To you Lord, I say thank you for loving me, for giving all for me, and for your uncondisional love that forever will speak Your name. Love is a verb, its an action that shows what is in our hearts. So, what is in your heart today? May we look to Christ for our example of love for everyone we meet~ 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 
