When I married my husband 35 1/2 yrs ago, we had this song in our wedding – “Love one another, love one another, as I have loved you. And care for each other, care for each other, as I have cared for you. And bear one another’s burdens, and share each other’s joys, and love one another, love one another, and bring each other home.” For some reason, that type of love has been relatively easy to share with my husband over all these years. God has blessed us greatly in our relationship.

But oh how I wish I had lived that type of Godly-love for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! There have been way too many fellow believers over the years who are walking-wounded because of my sinful words or actions. Living in a small town the past few years and getting to know many people following the 2008 flood, there have been good and bad times as well. Recently some hurtful words were said about me. As God has been working on healing and restoring, He’s put some of the people who were involved back into my life. I’ve wanted to ignore them or retaliate. However, after studying 1 John daily for eleven weeks, I’ve been reminded over and over again, I’m supposed to LOVE these people with the love of God and the love of Christ because I love God.

GOD’S LOVE – John 3:16-17, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”

CHRIST’S LOVE – Philippians 2:5-8, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Thou He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

God’s love shows us redemption and grace through sacrificial giving. Christ’s love shows us sacrificial giving through obedience and humility to God’s will.

So I’m asking myself, especially with difficult people, “Am I showing them the love of God and the love of Christ in my words and actions?” There are so many times I’m grateful that my thoughts are filtered through God’s love before they come out of my mouth.

By sharing God’s love, something good happens, not only to the people we love, but also in us. God’s abundant love and grace poured out on others is a transforming gift to us.

May you enjoy the blessing of God’s love and grace especially as you share His love with others ~ Faye