Love is Powerful. In fact, even this morning we hear Paul echo the words of Jesus in writing “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Love is Powerful, but the way many people define love defies the message and power of love.
There is no doubt that I love my wife and my children, but there are many times when I am not so loving. Times when my actions and attitudes do not communicate love or respect to the people I honestly love the most.
If my family was to love me in my sinfulness the way many people today want to appropriate and define love (who am I to say that you are wrong), my life would be a mess. I would be given into all kinds of selfish and destructive attitudes and behaviors.
Trust me when I say that most of the things that generate this unloving response from me come from a place where in the moment; I think I know what is best, or if it is not that they come from a place were I am reacting to circumstances instead of allowing God to direct my steps and guide my feet into the way of peace.
And the only reason why my family has grown and developed as it has is because we have made a practice of truth telling to one another which leads us to repentance, a practice of acknowledging our sinfulness and asking one another for forgiveness when we mess up. It is actually in these moments of truth telling and humility that leads to reconciliation where I find the greatest assurance of love for and from my family.
But for my family to allow such attitudes and actions to control my life to go unchecked would be the most unloving thing my family could do.
Love in the way that the world tries to define it is not love at all, but instead it is a bitter seed that has been planted even the church that has brought great confusion and allowed people to settle into sinful places and patterns that wreaks havoc upon their lives and the people around them.
Did you hear what Paul said was love: Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”
How many marriages have ended for love sake?
How many children have never been given a chance for love sake?
How many businesses have thrived for loves sake?
How many addictions have been formed for loves sake?
How many people have been encourage to pursue destructive attitudes and actions for love sake?
For that is not love at all. It is sin and deception that has been embraced even by the church for we have not dared to define love as God defines it in the Scriptures. Instead, we have defined love in a way that removes us from actually expressing love even to the people we love the most.
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