By Cindy Allen
We have talked a lot about our legacy over the last 10 months. Now, as we are winding down, I am at a loss as to what to share. I have started a couple of times, just to wipe it all away. Once again, I have landed on a word God has brought to my mind multiple times in the last few years. America has been in turmoil for several years now, and God has led me to realize that the answer to all of it is love.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but think about it. When a problem comes up, we want to fix it. I try to work out solutions as I pray to God, showing Him the best answer. Can you believe it? Me telling God how to fix something? But I often do.
God has finally helped me understand this: I am not the author and finisher. I am created for His purpose. I am to be a city on a hill reflecting His light. I am to show love — His love — because often, I do not possess my own love for that person or that situation.
John 13:34-35 (NIV) states, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Jesus said it not as a suggestion but as a commandment. Love one another. That means family, friends, neighbors, the slow checker at the store, the person who took the prime parking spot, the individual who hurt your kid, those with different political views and people living loudly and proudly in sin. These are just a few examples; there are many more. Love everyone. Aren’t those the kind of people Jesus loved? The men who crucified Him, the woman caught in adultery. Didn’t God go above and beyond to try and save Sodom and Gomorrah? God loved me and you while we were still knee-deep in sin.
Do you know why I think Jesus told us to love? Because of the things that naturally flow out of us when we love. I pray for the people I love. I share Jesus with them. I beg God to save them, help them, use them. I can pray for people I don’t love, but I fear those are not the most effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous man. I can give someone help without loving them, and after helping them, I will go on with my day, not thinking of them again. But I can’t love them and do nothing. Love motivates me to ask God to move mountains for others. Love motivates me to get involved in someone’s life to help it be better. Love is what marks me as a follower of Christ.
I Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” I think love is the greatest because it is the great motivator. I can share my faith and my hope, but I really only want to do that with people I love.
Love is hard. There are people we all struggle to love. That is where prayer comes in. Ask God to help you love them — then ask again, and again and again. One day, you will realize it has happened. I have been there; it really does work. Loving people means accepting them, not embracing everything they do. When our boys were little, I used to tell them, “I will always love you, but I don’t like this thing you are doing.” And isn’t God the same way with us? He loves us, but always wants us to do better, draw nearer and be more like the pattern He has set for us.
Love is one of the things that sets our God apart from other gods. It is also one of the things that sets His followers apart from the followers of other gods. If we show His love, people will notice a difference; they will be drawn to our light. “They will know we are Christians by our love.”
• Prayer — “Thank you, Lord, for loving me when I was unlovable and continuing to love me through my life of striving to do your will. Help me be a beacon of love in a world that desperately needs it. As I go through my day, help me to notice people who need an extra dose. God, you know the people I struggle with. Change my heart, give me your heart. I pray that your love will be a characteristic in my life, but Lord, I’m going to need your help along the way. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
• Scripture — I Cor. 13; Eph. 2:1-16; James 4:1-12
• Response — Let’s ask God to show us people who need love, not just our love, but His. Don’t expect love to just happen; look for ways to reach out to others. And sadly, often, the ones who need love the most are the most unlovable. The world needs us to show God’s love, so let’s get busy.
— These articles are shared via the National WMA web page blog that can be accessed at nationalwma.org/blogs.
