For the past three weeks, I have tried to encourage y'all that God loves you no matter what reason you think He wouldn't, so this is also true for literally everyone else! I'm going to start by saying that usually when speakers talk about loving other people, I can get passionate thinking about how other people I know don't love others well. That is such a wrong thing to do, because if everyone is concerned with how other people need to do better and not concerned with themselves, no one is going to improve! So, this post is for everyone, and this post is for you. We can all love each other a little better, and I hope this will motivate you to do so!
Love your neighbor as yourself. I'm sure all of you know this commandment from the Old Testament. This can already be difficult to do since we live in a world where we are taught to put ourselves first. However, Jesus in Luke 6 took it a step further and said to love your enemies too. This is one of many things that Jesus is good at. In the last post I mentioned that Jesus came to earth knowing that the whole world would reject him. He knew that every person he healed, helped, and loved would not be there for him when the time came. But in all four gospels we see him unconditionally love these people. It is so easy to love people who are kind to us and show us that same love back, but Jesus calls us to love our enemies. I have been reading a few verses from Luke 6 on repeat the last few days and I'm just going to share them with y'all. Starting in verse 27, it says “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." Okay Jesus!! If that didn't convict you, please read it again! There's not much I can follow up with that, because it is just too good, but I do want to note that you can't pour from an empty cup. This passage is a true challenge, and it's really hard to continue to keep on giving 24/7. It is impossible to love unconditionally if you don't feel unconditionally loved. Take time to remember how much God loves you! Fill your cup, so it's easier for you to pour out your love and God's love graciously to others. If someone has truly hurt you, it is okay if you feel empty and need some time before you can forgive and love them again.
One last subject I want to bring up regarding loving others is about friends, our neighbors which are mentioned in the second commandment. Friends are easy to love, but can be hard to love at different times. If we truly care about them, how can we love them consistently when problems appear in the friendship where we can feel like we are wronged? Jesus said if someone slaps you turn the other cheek so they can do so again, but where is the line drawn? Something else that struck me about that passage is how much Jesus was calling everyone out. Like he was getting a little sassy in that speech! But he did that because he loved and cared about the people he was talking to. Maybe "turning the other cheek" could be staying in the friendship and calling them out in love, telling them the truth. You don't have to let someone keep taking advantage of you for you to still be there for them. Friendships can be messy, but Jesus shows us that everyone is worth loving, give to them generously, but you can also stand up for yourself and spread the truth while loving your friends.
Going back to the saying "you can't pour from an empty cup", I encourage you to spend some extra time with God this week, remind yourself how much He loves you, and maybe go back and read one of the last three blog posts that stood out to you the most, so you can extend a little more love to those around you. Maybe you can start just by texting a friend you're thankful for? Go for it!
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