Foundational Attitudes for Good Relationships - Love

Foundational Attitudes for Good Relationships: Love Paul wrote, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Live worthy of your calling. That sounds like another sermon on holy living. If you continue to read in Ephesians 4, you will find that emphasis. But first, Paul calls for healthy relationships based on humility and love. These are the foundational attitudes needed for good relationships. Today we consider Christian love. How can we love like Jesus? Jesus said, Love each other as I have loved you. Jesus has set the example. He had love that laid down His life for others, for us. His love motivated Him to voluntarily go to the cross to bear our punishment. Jesus has set the standard we are to live up to: Love that gives freely, that sacrifices everything for those who are undeserving, love that suffers to bring well-being to others. Jesus commands us to love one another as He has loved us. The Bible declares the qualities of this love of God, Christian love. First, love acts to meet needs. 1 John 3:17-18 says, If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. Warm feelings are not enough, not even necessary. Kind words are good but are not enough. To love means to take action to meet the real needs of others. Second, love prompts labor. Paul told the Thessalonians that he remembered their work produced by faith and their labor prompted by love. Faith will motivate you to work for God, but it is love that prompts labor, the hard work of helping others. Love is needed to motivate you to volunteer to do the dirty work. And third, God's love is unconditional. God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Love is not earned or deserved. Love does not expect a reward. Love continues to give even when rejected. This love is not an option for Christians. John writes, Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Jesus commanded that we love each other as He has loved us. In Christ, the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. It is love that produces the Christian lifestyle. Love is the key to holy living. Paul writes, The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." It is love that motivates us to overcome the flesh. However, love is also the key to healthy relationships. The lack of love destroys them. Love is foundational to good relationships. Peter wrote, Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. But a question may be nagging you. How can I love like Jesus? You cannot on your own. We must receive love from God. John went on to say, We love because He first loved us. Jesus is our model of love. He is our inspiration to love. And Jesus is also our source of love. Love comes from God. I cannot love like Jesus by myself. I must be enabled by God. My ability to love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit dwelling in me. He teaches me what love is. He enables me to love beyond my own ability. He transforms me to be like Jesus and to love like Jesus loves. Ask for help as Paul did for us. He prayed, May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else. However, we must choose to live in love. Paul wrote, Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. We have repeatedly been commanded to love. A command implies a choice. We have a responsibility. Love becomes our choice once the Holy Spirit enables us. God gives a command to obey, not just a promise to enable. We must choose either to obey or to go our own selfish way. Whatever God commands, He will enable if we choose to trust and obey. He has commanded love from those who have received Jesus as Savior by faith. He will enable if we choose to obey. But we must make the choice. Then we must rely on His Spirit for His enabling. Let the example of God motivate you. As dearly loved children, imitate the Father who so loved you that He gave His only Son to die for you. Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. Since God so loved us, we should respond by loving Him. Since God loved all of us, we ought to love one another. Do you want to have good, healthy relationships in your life? Learn from God and choose to love as Christ loves you. Have you received God's love and are you returning it? Are you giving that same love to others? Who needs your love today? Will you choose to give it?