Bold Love,Chapter1:Part 1b - 03/24/02 03:49 PM
The author writes:<p>"The premise of this book is simple: I will not live with purpose and joy unless I love; I will not be able to love unless I forgive, and I will not forgive unless my hatred is continually melted by the searing truth and grace of the gospel."<p>Words to live by Huh? Well, it seems that this is all we need to know...so we can stop the study now...Yeah right! You know, I read things like this and think, well, isn't that just dandy! Now we have an answer. All I have to do is LIVE it and that would be enough! Well, truth be told, that is right, but it's not at all that easy to do. The rest of this chapter challenges us to take a good hard look at what LOVE really is for us, as God portrays it in His word and by His acts and for our relationships. <p>Mark 12:30-31, Gal 5:14, Rom 13:8-10 all have a common theme. "Love your neighbor as yourself". Not an easy task if we haven't defined love. <p>"Love is described (1 Cor 13), illustrated (the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37) and commanded (Luke 6:27-36) but it is never defined (in the word). The meaning of love is found in the person Jesus Christ and incarnated with definition and meaning by His death and resurrection. 'Love is sacrifice for the undeserving that opens the door to restoration of relationship with the FATHER, with OTHERS, and with OURSELVES.'"<p>So it is because of the actions of Jesus, who saved us with His own TOTAL BEING, that love becomes real. Otherwise, it is just a word, elusive in meaning and otherwise obscured by our feeble attempts to understand it within our human limitations. Love is divine in nature and can only be understood through devine means. <p>"It is pointless and worthless to live and not love. There will be no sweet sounds of joy or reward for living without love. So how do we know if we're really pressing on for the prize? Is love common and ordinary, or supremely rare and supernatural? Is it possible that many are involved in using talents, exercising power, and sacrificing enormous portions of money and flesh without being driven be a heart of love? I wonder if a great portion of our daily choices are made without a passing thought to whether our activity is consistent with a heart of love." <p>Wow, I am stung. How can we answer this? By our own self-examination. Here is where the rubber meets the road. Am I ready to dig in and really take a good hard look at my life and what has been exemplified to me as love as a child unto this day? Am I willing to admit that I have not loved at all but just imitated others faulty version of what they thought love was and then added my own creative style? I may be willing and able, but it is hard. I have often questioned Love and it's meaning. I confess I had no clue what true love is. And from the knowledge I have been gaining through my relationship with Christ, the study of the bible and well written books like this one, I have discovered I knew nothing about love!!! Ouch that hurts! But Praise God, I have discovered that I am learning about love and may one day be able to live it in larger ways in my own life. My attempts now are naive and fumbling, but God has a hold of me. I yield my will daily to His and even though a battle of wills takes place, I know God's will is taking strongholds now that will eventually take precedence in my heart and mind. <p>"Love is the most essential, life-giving gift we offer to another human being. It is also the least-likely,-natural, or-consistent response that is offered in the mundane moments, let alone during the difficult, soul-demanding struggles when we re threatened, reviled, and harmed. Rich moments of OTHER-CENTERED CARE and SACRIFICE ARE RARE. Most people presume the desire to love is a natural human sentiment, but love is actually the exception, the extraordinary, and the life altering surprise. " <p>Now at first glance at this paragraph, a lot of people might disagree. I did at first. Yet, upon self-examination, I found it to be so true. Over the last few weeks, I tried my darndest to love as a natural act, but alas, to no avail. I have had to force love out. My own hatred was so strong that love was no where to be found except to act upon the words of love God gave me in the bible. I thought about how many times I may have had not been frustrated, was not irritable, was in basically a good mood and was 'nice and kind' to others. I called this 'love' when in fact it was just a period of time when I was not so self-absorbed with my own ills that I didn't take it out on everyone else. Now, you may not experience this in the same way or at this level, but if we truly become honest with ourselves and with God in light of the truths being revealed here, we have to admit that our concept of Love is self-absorbed and limited to how we FEEL at any given time, not in response to the call of real Godly LOVE in our life. When I don't act out negatively what I feel because I remember the words of God I have read and studied, then I ACT upon His love, and not my own. This is love carried out through me, but is it really working in me?<p>"I wonder how often love is truly taught and lived as the CENTRAL PRIORITY of life. I asked one of my children what she thought was the most important lesson I wanted her to learn about life. She replied, "Work hard, do your best, and don't lie." Those are worthy objectives to teach a child, but if internalized without a larger picture, they are the basis for crushing legalism and pharisaical arrogance....Perhaps love is so rare, even in good homes, that other lessons about life are preeminent in the classroom of family living.....Love was never meant to be so incidental."<p>As for me, my own household growing up was really void of love, but had lots of lessons about working hard, getting ahead, becoming useful, doing positive things, thinking positively...how bout you?? What kind of example did you have growing up?? My parents tried to instill "good values" into me amidst the perverseness of verbal and sexual abuse. My idea of love was so distorted, it has taken God 47 years to open up the brickwalled protection around my heart and psyche enough to get in and show me what true love is.<p>"When the question of failure to love is raised, it should be heard as the whisper of a friend, not the accusation of an enemy, because our failures can be the delicious entry into a new comprehension of God's grace." .... "we are often so committed to seeing our involvement with others as innocent and our presumption of goodness untarnished that we retreat from facing our own loveliness. It seems inconceivable to most of us that relief can be found in facing our failure."...PLEASE, DO NOT OVERLOOK WHAT YOU JUST READ, IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE TO GRASP...GO BACK AND READ IT AGAIN IF YOU HAVE TO ... "In seeing what is in our heart, we might be further compelled to flee our presumption of self-sufficiency and embrace the hope of RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON GOD'S INITIATIVE NOT ON OUR PERFORMANCE. (wow) However, THIS KIND OF DEPENDNECE REQUIRES A BROKEN HEART THAT HAS GIVEN UP THE DEMANDS OF PRIDE. Many are simply not ready for such a loss of face."<p>Are you ready for God to work in and on you to this extent????<p>
I need to stop here. I thought I could make it through to the end of chapter 1, but the next part about Forgiving Love will have to be a whole'nother study.<p>Once again, insights, comments and thoughts about this study and book as they apply to your life, are not only welcome, but also encouraged.<p>God Bless You All,
Bev<p>[ March 24, 2002: Message edited by: frstrtd ]<p>[ March 26, 2002: Message edited by: frstrtd ]</p>
I need to stop here. I thought I could make it through to the end of chapter 1, but the next part about Forgiving Love will have to be a whole'nother study.<p>Once again, insights, comments and thoughts about this study and book as they apply to your life, are not only welcome, but also encouraged.<p>God Bless You All,
Bev<p>[ March 24, 2002: Message edited by: frstrtd ]<p>[ March 26, 2002: Message edited by: frstrtd ]</p>