How to Love and Be A Lover
John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
- Love is a commandment, not an option.
- We can love if we choose to, or it would not have been commanded of us.
- Always, always remember in your dealings with other people, that you, whose life opposed Jesus and cost Him His life, are passionately and aggressively loved by Him. We were his enemies. None of us were excluded.
- Jesus knew that man’s sin would cost him his life, but He loved man anyway.
- Jesus wants us to be just as adamant and passionate in loving others. Be determined to love everyone regardless.
- This we must remember so that we will overcome any resistance to loving and forgiving. Love is a mindset. How can you love? You cannot love right unless you set yourself to love.
- Jesus continually called for His followed do the same as He did. Joh 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
- Matthew 18: 23-35 tells the story of pardon granted and the desire of the lord that the person he forgave should extend the same to those who owed him money.
- Nobody deserves to be forgiven.
- It is absolutely possible that anyone who walks with Jesus can love as He loved.
- It has proven that whoever walks with Jesus is able to the works He did. We can love—if we believe we can and if we want to.
1 John 4:17, 18 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
- Fear
- 1) to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away)
- a) to put to flight, to flee
- b) to fear, be afraid
- 1) to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm
- of those startled by strange sights or occurrences
- of those struck with amazement
- 2) to fear, be afraid of one
- 3) to fear (i.e. hesitate) to do something (for fear of harm)
- Perfect
- 1) to make perfect, complete
- a) to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end
- 2) to complete (perfect)
- a) add what is yet wanting in order to render a thing full
- b) to be found perfect
- 3) to bring to the end (goal) proposed
- When relationships are right, both human and Divine, nothing truly suffers on either end of the spectrum. No one, on either end of the equation, frets.
- When love is perfect and complete, and we assured that we are loved, it removes all doubts of betrayal or need to suspect disloyalty and infidelity.
- Perfect love is consistent with the character of Christ.
- People who love do not want people to be under duress because of them. If fear is present in a relationship, somewhere there is guilt and someone has violated the other person.
- The woman who touched the hem of his garment feared, likely because she lacked in having a relationship with Jesus.
- Only when something has been compromised or not established is there any reason to fear. Relationship, continuity determines the caliber of a relationship.
1 Corinthians 13:4, 5 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
- Rights are the thing people demand, but such demands come out of our selfish nature.
- A love relationship can never be nurtured in the environment of people who draw and hold other people to boundaries. If you truly love someone, you will occasionally let them off the hook if it benefits them.
- Good relationships are made of concessions. How can we love? Forget about claiming your rights.If you want to be a lover of people, challenge yourself to remove yourself from the equation. Think the other person.
- Ephesians 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
- When we love, we make allowances for the weaknesses of the people we love and do not demand so many rights. More and more we change what we like or dislike and permit in deference to the persons we love.
- We compromise and even force ourselves to endure things just because the people we love enjoy them. Otherwise, we say, “ It is my way or the highway.”
- As our love grows, we begin to become happy for others and are sensitive to what they like or dislike. It hurts us when the people we love hurt.
- We must practice being sensitive almost to the ridiculous.
- Persons who love attempt to make things better for the persons they love because charity “seeketh not her own.” Love sacrifies for love’s sake.
- We tolerate what we don’t like and are not jealous. Instead:
- Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
- Work on truly sharing failures and successes of others. Send cards etc.
- Celebrate other people’s accomplishments.
- 1 Corinthians 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
- If you are truly family, you cannot help but to be disturbed when something goes awry.
- You feel it because you are part of it.