Response Required

[justaname]

I have often wondered, where am I at my calling. Am I doing the will of God? What is the will of God for me?

My prayers were sincere and my heart was true, and my plea was to the Creator of all things, "God what do You want me to do?" And He honestly gave me a response that I heard like a voice from Heaven, it said simply enough, "Love."

Then I started to really look at what Jesus, the Master taught.
Luke 10:27
Mark 12:30
Matthew 22:37
The common theme here is love. 1 John 4:8 The one that does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Jesus' entire example of a sinless life is filled with love for all.
So where do we stop loving? Can I love devils and demons? Can I love killers, or haters, or sinners? Undoubtably yes. Matthew 5:44, Matthew 25:31-46
Upon the final judgement all will be gathered before the King, and to the least on either side I do not want to be guilty.
God loves unconditionally, I want to be like God. Romans 5:8
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

So do I love Satan or the anti-Christ? Father let me not be the one who limits Your perfect love, but let me be transparent and for You more the glory. For the love I love with is Yours and Yours alone. Let me not store it for my purposes, or withhold it for my discernment, yet let me give it freely without expectation or remorse. Matthew 10:8

Shall I love then evil or sin; wickedness or inequity? Never, for my battle is against powers and principalities. Ephesians 6:12
God hates evil and I want to be like God. Proverbs 8:13


What then is the response required? Love.

 

[Redeemed86]

I have personally found that in order for my love for others to grow, the love I have for myself has to be adequate.

Luke 10:27 .."and your neighbor as yourself."

For the longest time, I didn't love myself in a way that Christ would have approved of. I didn't know the difference between loving someone vs. just feeling inferior to them. I imitated the "love" that I saw between people around me, thinking that was enough. That caused me to just be a complacent peacekeeper and not a vessel for all the facets of God's love. It took God breaking me down, rebuilding (still under construction, btw) me, and showing me how important I was to him, for me to realize the kind of love Jesus was talking about above.

Honestly, I don't think anyone wants to be put through God's refining fire. I didn't. It's when I realized he put me through it not to destroy me, but to mold and reshape me into someone more useful to him, that I learned how to share the overflow of love that God has put in me. I'm far from perfect but once God reveals himself to you on a personal level, you'll be hooked, lol.

I think that's why Jesus stresses our complete dependence on him, so that he can undo our worldly notions and show us how to live and love righteously.

 

[Shirley]

Great posts! God has been showing me these things also. I am beginning to see that when I love, that is when he works! It feels like he guides me that way. Since God is love, then when we love he is able to use us. I think he uses sinners this way all the time. I like what Redeemed said about not loving herself the way christ wants. I honestly think this has been my biggest lifelong problem. Beating up on myself for every imperfection has caused me so much pain and never helped me grow. Learning and worrying over what are the commandments, am I keeping them all, and many other worries. I have been helped so much since I came to this site. Faith working through Love is all that counts. Faith to believe that God loves me and forgives me! He will fix my short comings as I continue to seek his face.

Thank you God! I love you God!

 

[aspen]

We are called to love many different people in my different circumstances. This is God's will for our lives.