The idea for this post has been brewing in my head for several days now. I am really not sure why though. I do not come from a church tradition that ever celebrated what is called Holy Week, Lent, or anything else that is associated with this time of year. I need to clarify that since it makes me sound like I am JW. We had a Good Friday service and observed Easter (I was baptized on Easter in 1960). We didn’t do the extra stuff. To be honest: I had no idea what Holy Week was when I first heard it and had absolutely no clue what Lent was. I can remember being in high school and seeing one of my teachers with a black spot in the middle of his forehead. I almost went up to him and said, “Mr. Bano, you have a dirt spot in the middle of your forehead.” I was clueless about Ash Wednesday. 🙂 Several years ago when I decided to “observe” Lent, I had to Google it to find out more about it. I gave up chocolate that year. The next year I gave up caffeine (since I don’t drink coffee that meant no Diet Dr. Pepper). Anyway, we are now almost through the Lenten season and Holy Week.
One word comes to mind…one word changes everything. For a hint read Zee’s post here. Zee asks an interesting question-one I’m not sure can be answered. Least I know I am not smart enough to answer it. By now you know the ONE WORD is LOVE. In my mind (and it is simple one) only one word can truly tell the story behind this time of the year. It is something I certainly don’t understand by any stretch. How can Someone love me so much when the Scripture is so true: “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”? [Rom.5:8] Even though there was is nothing worthy about me to be loved, He did does. How can I repay a love like that? Truthfully, I can’t. Not in a bazillion years. The Scripture still stands though: “We love Him because He first loved us.”
There is, however, one thing I can do (and no I am not talking about earning my salvation by works). I can do for to others exactly what Jesus did for to me. I can love them. The poet W.H.Auden once said, “We must love one another or die.” I must agree with that. Ever since I can remember I was always quoted, “No man is an island.” I can go one further on that: No man can live without love. Listen to that carefully please because I know you can argue with that. No man can live without love. (emphasis on live). People can exist but no man can live without love. Love is what we are created for; it is the reason for our existence. Do you recall what Jesus said were the two greatest commandments? “Love God” and “Love people.” (See Matthew 22:37-39)
I hope you don’t see this as preaching to you. I am wrestling with this in my own heart. How do I see others? Do I love God like I should? Do I love people as I should? I found a great quote by George MacDonald the other day: “I am a beast until I love as God doth love.”
What do you think? Have you wrestled with this? Are you do you feel as overwhelmed as I do? I would like to know what you think. BTW: take some time to comment on Zee’s post and tell her I sent you. She might answer me in Russian if you do. 🙂
Zee’s post is great! As is yours. I think many of us have been struggling with this issue lately. Maybe it is because we are witnessing a lot of fear and hate in society right now.
Going in tandem with your post, I encourage you to reread 1 John 5:1-5. I recently wrote a post on that passage entitled “Overcoming the World”
I once spent a couple months reading, praying, studying to come to get a grip on this word LOVE. I understand loving my children unconditionally. Sometimes it was tough Love and sometimes it was just an extra dose of patience, or listening, or sacrifice. I guess this is the easier form of Love to understand. And I understand I love ice cream, and sunsets, and Bluegrass gospel. But to love my enemy, or a jerky neighbor, or a pedophile priest or etc. is a tough one.
I don’t think “love the sinner but hate the sin” quite gets me to a feeling of love.
Maybe the Greek’s language is easier but not having one word but several to describe the different emotions or feelings at play.
Yes I struggle with it. No I don’t fully understand it. I do think that Love is a fruit of the spirit and the more in tune we are with the word and allowing the spirit to be a guide that we get closer to fulfilling our obligation to love.
As a side thought I think a lot of people, Christians included, have trouble loving themselves. They dwell on the shortcomings instead of maximizing the gifts they have been given. They do things to themselves that create negative results. They may be loving their neighbors as themselves but not in a positive way.
Dusty: thanks for the kind words. I can’t help but think you may have hit on something with the fear and hate idea. Good Scripture as well. Link to that post?
Jeff: thanks for visiting my blog. I definitely agree that it is easier to love some more than others. I tire also of the “love the sinner and hate the sin” moniker although it is true. A study of the Greek words does help some. That is an idea for another post at another time. You also raise a good point of how hard so many have it in loving themselves. Thanks again for your input.
Wasn’t sure you would want links, so I left it out…
Here it is: http://wp.me/pPhYE-3w
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galations 5:22-23).
The first fruit of the Spirit listed here is love. So it is plain that one crucial link between our being loved by Christ and our loving others is the Holy Spirit. Love for others is a fruit that grows in our lives by his doing. Somehow he makes it happen. It won’t happen without him. And when it does happen, we don’t get the glory for it, God does.
Dusty: links to blog posts are welcome. Thanks for coming back and giving that to us. Makes it easier to check out.
Ike: You hit on it-one of the proofs of the Spirit’s work is who gets the credit. Real love is from Him. Thanks for the comment.
Bill: спасибо 😀
i struggle with this quite often. i want to love with His love and then i stumble upon the fact that i am a human… yet, it gives me courage that Jesus was fully God BUT also fully human and He loved (loves) people… even those who left him alone, betrayed Him, whipped His back, and nailed Him to that cross… as hard to imagine that is, He loved them. He loves me even when i fail Him. And if He could do it, being a man, then i can learn too…
Jeff: oh yeah, you touched upon one of the main sores of being a Christian… at least i see it as such. we remember about loving Him and loving others… but very often we downplay the full sentence that Jesus said “love others as you love yourself“… i struggle with loving myself because i know all my faults, the wrong ways i went and wrong choices that i have made. and i guess it’s pride that’s speaking in me when i am trying to think “well, my sins are the worst”… *shrug*
*sigh* His love… a topic that was discussed for 5,000+ years and will be discussed until eternity and praise during the eternity.
(btw, спасибо means thanks 😉 )
Zee: you express what I believe many followers of Christ experience. Thanks for your honesty. And thanks for translating that Russian. I would have had no clue what you said to me. 🙂
(just for the fun of it, Google’s got a good translating service – here) 😉
Thanks Zee. Will check it out.
How to express that love without it being deeply self-centered is an issue for me…
I love the idea of loving someone simply for the sake of loving, not receiving anything at all in return…no love, no “credit”, no recognition…just pure unnoticed, unrecorded love. That’s what I want to do more.
Great post Bill (love Zee’s blog by the way.)
спасибо Bill! 🙂
Robin: haha, well done on Russian 😀
Robin: there is a particular joy that comes when you love without expecting in return. You know what that is like when you love on your grandchild. 🙂 Their “return” hug is worth everything but you didn’t do it just for that. You did it because you love her. Thanks for commenting. Glad you love Zee’s blog.
One more thing: is there a conspiracy with you and Zee and this Russian language thing? 🙂 You just gotta tell me where you found that.
Zee: see my comment. 😮
Bill: where’s the fun in telling? 😀 (just kiddin’)
You better be looking over your shoulder Zee. 🙂
haha, i’ll think about it 😛 (wow, i am in a cheeky mood today…)
It is always a wrestle to think do I love God enough. Do I really have any understanding of what it really means to love God.
Both are good post. Thanks!
Zee: does appear as though you are. 🙂
Jim: a struggle we all have. Thanks for coming by.
Hi everyone,
I think I know what the situation is with this topic of ‘Love’. You guys are too smart. You’re thinkers. I don’t have that problem. Jeus says the kingdom of God is for the poor. Not necessarily the poverty kind of poor. Maybe it’s my pride but I don’t seem to be stuggling with this word ‘Love’ like some others are. I don’t try to analyze it and understand it all, I just ask God for it and let Him do the work of putting more love in me.
I don’t think I am there yet, but I think I can understand what ‘loving your enemies’ might mean. It’s true love. My question is:
Are people asking for this love? Are they going forward for prayer at the altar for this need to love more? Are they asking God for this love every day in prayer? Are they demonstrating love to others when they see a need? I don’t understand what the problem is with this.
I believe you’re right Cycleguy. If believers don’t get to this point of loving the way God has asked us to in sincerity and truth then there’s a problem. And death may be the result. God is not kidding around. He has provided. It is up to us to keep asking and keep practicing and keep doing what Jesus has asked us to do. if you don’t have enough of God then ask and it shall be given you. good measure, pressed down and overflowing will God give to you.
Does someone want to correct me or give me another perspective on this idea of ‘God’s love’? Jesus said if you are my discliples you will be known because you love one another. Any comments? Does anyone want to rebuke me for an error? Please do so.
Linda: First, no one ever (emphasize ever) accused me of thinking too much. 🙂 Do people ask for this love? I think some do and some don’t. Many realize this is the kind of love Jesus has told us to have: love your enemies. On the other hand there are those who prefer to carry around a grudge or harsh feelings toward someone who has hurt them. Asking for the strength to love them is out of the question. That is to their own detriment I might add. I don’t know that anybody ever arrives at full forgiveness as long as they are here on earth. I know there are those who say they do but I tend to disagree. It will always be a lifelong struggle for me and I am one who tends to be pretty quick to forgive and not hold grudges. But I know it is not easy nor over. I too would like to have others weigh in on your thoughts.
Bill: i often accuse myself of thinking too much…
Linda: yes, God knows one of my most often repeated prayer (besides “Your will be done”) is a prayer for a off-switch for my brain. sometimes i do think too much and try to understand something that i know that i will never understand and don’t HAVE to understand.
you are right that we should ask and He will give it. sometimes, however, it is scary. it seems like too much. at the same time i know that that’s the point… to love so much that there’s no “I” left.
Hi Cycleguy,
If I’m getting what you’re saying in your reply to my blog I know what I do to help this kind of thing. I make a point in prayer to release the person from all consequences and charges before God for their actions. I state to God that I completely release the person or situation from any judgement for what they have done to me. Then if I think about the offense again I remind myself that they are not charged before God and that I have released them from the offence, so then I put my mind onto something else.
I’m reminded of Stephen in Acts, he did the same thing when he was being stoned. he asked God not to hold their action against them. I really believe they are released from the consequences and judgement of stoning Stephen. The Bible says whoevers sins we forgive they are forgiven, and whoevers sins we hold they are not forgiven. The Bible also says with the kind and measure of forgiveness that we extend to others is the kind and measure of forgiveness we will receive also.
Hi Zee,
i know what you mean about scary. I was a little scared about what I was reading and thinking this morning. To be honest, I’m not sure what it was now that I was reading about in Luke 6 and 7.
I think what I remember from scripture is that God ‘will not give us more than we can handle’. some areas are new to us and we don’t know believers that have experienced these kinds of situations so that they can calm our fears.
The Bible says if ‘we try to hang on to our life we will lose it.’ But if we lose our life for his sake we will find it’. What I am thinking is that we have to trust Him with the unknown if we can see by the scriptures that this is the way we need to go. Jesus said to his disciples ‘you know the way’. I am leaving to prepare a place for you so that where I am you may be also’.
Linda: you are taking a good approach to people who hurt you. There is no way we can humanly forgive those who hurt us. Only through Christ can we do that. Good example in your use of Stephen. Always appreciate you coming by.
Zee: It is sometimes scary to forgive. One of the reasons, I think, is that we are allowing ourselves to get hurt again. But someone has said we are no more human when we forgive and no more divine than when we forgive.