Both of my children are attending a
school district that requires them to wear their school identifications in
order to enter the classroom every single day.
In the event their school ids are lost or inadvertently left at home,
they are required to purchase another one in order to attend the remainder of
their classes. From my perspective, it
appears the school district may have been having challenges with individuals coming onto the
school premises who were not students.
Each student being required to show their identification to every
teacher, every day, ensures that there are no intruders or counterfeit
students in the building.
As professed Christians, do you know what our ID
is? The one powerful thing that validates
our lip service and distinguishes us from all the rest is our LOVE (John
13:35). Our authentic expressions of Love
are the evidence or proof that we are who we say we are – disciples (imitators)
of Christ Jesus. Unfortunately, many of
us have experienced counterfeit Love in our lifetimes. Subsequently, our definitions of Love are
distorted from its True Meaning. Today,
let’s set the record straight! Be
enlightened as these four keys revolutionize your love life. Let’s begin at the
end of L.O.V.E.
Key #1: Experience
LOVE
First and
foremost, God is Love! (1 John 4:8) In
order to express Love, you must first experience Love (God). Remember, we can only give what we
possess. Therefore, the degree to which
we experience Love is the same degree that we possess the potential to give
Love. I call this the “Cross Theory.” Our fellowship with God through Christ Jesus
is the vertical line, and our fellowship with others is the horizontal
line. The condition of our fellowship
with God is most reflective in our fellowship with others (1 John 4:20). Subsequently without Love (God), any attempt
to express Love is counterfeit.
Key #2: Voluntary Self-Sacrifice
Often times
I’ve heard people state, “Love is an action Word.” And while that is true, I choose to take it
further for a more accurate practical endeavor to imitate God (Love). “Love is a voluntary action
Word.” God so Loved that He gave Jesus Christ to us without coercion or force
and without any guarantee that we would Love Him back (John 3:16, Romans
5:8). Therefore, to express Love is an
act of one’s will regardless of whether
one’s expressions of Love are received or not.
Let’s take
some moments to look at the words self-sacrifice. Love is not a Word of personal convenience;
it’s of personal commitments. Therefore,
there will be times when expressing Love requires one to lay down his/her
agenda for the sake of others. I think
that goes under the heading “not
demanding our own way” (1 Corinthians 13:5). This is exactly what Christ Jesus displayed
towards us. Nothing is greater than one who
lays down his/her life (agenda, plans) for the benefit of someone else (John
15:13).
Key #3: Ordinary Acts become Extraordinary Expressions
The depth
of our experience with Love (God) determines the extravagance of our
expressions (acts). It can be said that
extraordinary expressions of Love is caring more than what others think is
wise, risking more than what others think is safe, doing more than what others
think is practical, and expecting more than what others think is possible. Therefore, our ordinary acts become divine expressions of Love.
Key #4: Look, Listen, and Fill the Voids
As Joyce
Meyer states, “It is in our giving that
we most resemble God.” Therefore, we
should look for every opportunity possible to express Love (Galatians
6:10). As extravagantly as God expresses
His Love towards us is the degree to which we should express Love to others (2
Corinthians 9:14). This is when
expressing Love can be so exciting! Our Love expressions boldly profess, “I don’t need to be asked. I see the need. I have the capacity to fill the void. Therefore, I do!”
Oh
yes, let me not forget to tell you this one critical point: the Love you display to others is an
indication of the Love you have for yourself (Leviticus 19:18). Selah!
What a telling principle to consider.
Therefore, as you experience Love (God), be sure to embrace God’s Love
for yourself first!
Today,
I encourage you to enhance your experience with Love (God). Bask in the bountiful Love that God has
already shown you (Ephesians 3:18). And with
each Love
Experience, you will be able to “show your id” well!
© 2011 Julianne Pearson
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