Transformation Through Genuine Love

[hldude33]

“Transformation Through Genuine Love”
Romans 12:9 NLT-Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT- If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.


What I am about to share is very hard for us to hear, but it is what the church needs today as a reality check. The one place people should experience love and compassion the most is sadly too often the one place where people feel the most criticized, hurt, rejected, judged and shunned. This is a heartbreaking, terrifying truth and it should serve as a huge wake-up call for us who claim to follow Christ. How have we managed to stray so far from God’s intention of what the church should be?

So many people have been turned off and continue to be turned away from ever darkening church doors because of people who claim to be Christians, but do not genuinely love one another. This breaks my heart and I’m guilty as charged as well. I know this makes many of us squirm, but it is the tough pill of truth to swallow. We should be all about God’s love.

Throughout my years of life, I have lived many places and attended many churches. Out of all of my years in the church, both volunteer and paid ministry, I have noticed a common problem that comes up frequently and it is the issue of genuine love getting pushed aside while petty differences take over. I have seen so much hurt in the body of Christ through the years and it breaks my heart because God wants us to work together to be united to love one another.

Paul explains that we can be busy doing so much for God, but if we do not do so with love, then it’s all for nothing. Love must be the root of all these things we do in service of God’s church. If we have not love, we’ve completely missed the point.

The world is desperate to see us living a genuine love for one another and not just claiming to love God and love others. Love must be our mission. Genuine, authentic, real love that comes from God and should shine through us as believers.

Don’t just pretend. Really love people genuinely.

 

[marks]

Don’t just pretend. Really love people genuinely.

If you don't, it's OK to pretend!

:)

I believe that as children of God, love is our new nature. Just as God is love, and we are born from Him, we are to love and be loved. And doesn't the heart thrill to know this?

But that's just it. It's who we are. Who we've become. And it will be overshadowed by the works of the flesh if we allow it.

The truth is . . . God's work in us looks like a certain thing, and anything in me that does not look like that thing, it's not. Either from the flesh or from the Spirit, we can know . . .

Galatians 5
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

If what's happening in our lives does not reflect this fruit, be assured it's not from God. Love and joy and peace are unmistakable to us when that is how we are.

We need to pay attention towards when that peace starts to become troubled, the joy starts to flatten, our faith weakens, feeling a little sharp with others, beginning to bristle.

Those are not from the Spirit, and as the spirit children of God, that's not what we are.

We reject the flesh, embrace the Spirit, and walk in love, and rejoicing, peaceful, patient, gentle, good, trusting, meek, and self-controlled.

And since this is what God wants for us, what He created us for, this is the working of His grace in us.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Galatians 5:13 "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."

Something I've thought about in this passage, "by love serve one another".

The best way, I think, to serve someone is to learn to love them, and then, in our love for them, act however is best.

Much love!

 

[Episkopos]

“Transformation Through Genuine Love”
Romans 12:9 NLT-Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT- If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.


What I am about to share is very hard for us to hear, but it is what the church needs today as a reality check. The one place people should experience love and compassion the most is sadly too often the one place where people feel the most criticized, hurt, rejected, judged and shunned. This is a heartbreaking, terrifying truth and it should serve as a huge wake-up call for us who claim to follow Christ. How have we managed to stray so far from God’s intention of what the church should be?

So many people have been turned off and continue to be turned away from ever darkening church doors because of people who claim to be Christians, but do not genuinely love one another. This breaks my heart and I’m guilty as charged as well. I know this makes many of us squirm, but it is the tough pill of truth to swallow. We should be all about God’s love.

Throughout my years of life, I have lived many places and attended many churches. Out of all of my years in the church, both volunteer and paid ministry, I have noticed a common problem that comes up frequently and it is the issue of genuine love getting pushed aside while petty differences take over. I have seen so much hurt in the body of Christ through the years and it breaks my heart because God wants us to work together to be united to love one another.

Paul explains that we can be busy doing so much for God, but if we do not do so with love, then it’s all for nothing. Love must be the root of all these things we do in service of God’s church. If we have not love, we’ve completely missed the point.

The world is desperate to see us living a genuine love for one another and not just claiming to love God and love others. Love must be our mission. Genuine, authentic, real love that comes from God and should shine through us as believers.

Don’t just pretend. Really love people genuinely.

Amen. Speak the truth...but do so in love.

It seems that the church is split over doing one or the other....but without that balance. So then you have the "love" churches that champion gay rights; and then there are the cold hearted "truth" churches that bash the other kind. So we end up reacting to each other's lack of balance by being unbalanced ourselves.

...or we can just ignore what errors others are doing and get on with it in a proper balance! :)