• January 24, 2008
Part 3: Neighborly Love vs. Self love
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a* "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..." (emphasis added)
God has called us to love those around us. Not just the people we like, not just our relatives, but our enemies as well.
John 15:12 "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."
The love we show people should be unconditional, sacrificial, and respectful. Respect also includes listening, and showing preference to other people... putting them first. We are also called to forgive one another, even when we haven't been asked for forgiveness!
Proverbs 10:12 "Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs."
John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Leviticus 19:18 "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."
On that Leviticus note, I'd like to expound a bit about self-love. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves... and then some. God knew that we are humans, and love ourselves too much... so we should ALSO love our neighbors overwhelmingly. Make sense? Self love only helps you, it's a dead end! In 1 John 2:15, it says, "If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him." If we are loving ourselves, that is wordly, selfish love. We cannot be a shining light when we are only shining for ourselves.
Neighborly love also encompasses dating, marriage, friends, and family. It is easy to love the people that love you, no? Please do not leave your enemies out! We are called to love them too, you know.
Matthew 5:44 "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."
Christ should shine through us in our horizontal, neighbor love. It should make people want to know the source of the hope that is in us. We should MIRROR the light of Christ into this dark world.
1 John 4:11-12 "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us..."
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The Princess
*all Bible verses are taken from the New International Version © 1973, 1978, 1984
Comments
• January 25, 2008
Thanks!
Posted by Anonymous
Thank you so much for posting this! It means a lot to me.
~The same Anon
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