It’s February when we often celebrate all things related to love and relationships. Card shops, flower markets, restaurants and chocolatiers are anticipating records sales as people spend copious amounts of money to express their affection for each other. I am a huge fan of showing our expressions of our love but not so much a fan of the pressure to do so just on certain days.
I am so grateful that our church is delving into the Sermon on the Mount as we sit together at the feet of Jesus and learn how to live together as His family and in this world as we are called to shine His light. It has been personally confronting and challenging while being comforting at the same time.
These words on how to love like Jesus loves mess with my heart every time I read them:
“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” Matthew 5:43-48 (Message)
My husband, John often says, ‘Love that doesn’t cost you is just a feeling’. True love is extremely costly – Jesus demonstrated that as He gave His life for us as He hung on a cross. It is impossible for me to even remotely love in the way these scriptures instruct me to without first having my heart transformed and filled with His love. But the miracle is that I can! I can love the unlovable, I can pray for my enemies, I can love and live out of a God-created identity and live generously and graciously toward others.
On May 12th John and I will celebrate 50 years of marriage. At our wedding ceremony our pastor read the following verses from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 which sounded so beautifully poetic and easy to do at the time, but we were to discover that this love was costly, and we had to continually choose God’s way of love, not ours.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Thankfully we discovered that Gods love will truly never fail though ours would have. Our love was inadequate, and there were days that we didn’t think our marriage would survive, but as we drew deeply from the well of Gods perfect love it carried us and has continued to sustain us. Today we walk together in a love that we could never have imagined – it is deeper and more beautiful that our hearts could have dreamed of. It is a gift from God borne from the bounty and beauty of His everlasting love.
Who is God asking us to love selflessly today? Perhaps it’s our spouse, a difficult neighbour or co-worker? Let’s choose to bless them as we pray for them. Our words and our prayers can accomplish miracles not only in their lives, but in our lives as well.
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Helen Burns
