I think that too often Air Supply has gotten it right. Aren't there times where we think we have reached our capacity to love. Maybe someone did something to us or we have tried and tried to show love to another and it just doesn't seem to get the right response. There are times where I feel like I may not be able to love any more than I am loving, or worse I may not want to love anymore. Love is one of those things that doesn't come naturally. It is a decision of the heart that takes a lot of work and focus on a regular basis. In fact God commands us to love and to respond in love in all moments with all people. That in and of it self seems overwhelming.
I was confronted with a truth today that I have thought of before but not necessarily in these terms. Did you know that God will increase our capacity to love just by His presence? All we have to do is ask Him to, and lean into His guidance and instruction. The Bible clearly states this in
2 Peter 1:3
Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.
In other words when you invite Jesus into your life you have opened your heart to a power source that goes well beyond your own personal capacity. You have been given the love of Christ and therefor will never run out of love for others. In fact a sign that you have given your life over to Christ is that your love for other believers is growing, along with your love for anyone for that matter. For some of us that means we need to ask if we have ever invited Christ into our life and turned the reigns over to Him. For people like me it is a sobering reminder that I have not loved fully in the way that I am capable of loving. Today my prayer is that I would realize the capacity God has given me to love. I am asking God to fully open up the valves of love in me that I have spent most of my life ignoring or closing off. To often I walk past opportunities to love others in the church, at home, out in day to day life. I want to share God's Good news and I can simply do that my loving others more. What would it look like if everyone decided to love out of their capacity in Christ more? It would be radical!
In community with you,
Your Dreaming Pastor
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1 comment:
I would think that a lot of life could be cleared up by an Air Supply song. Maybe that's a future series???
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