Love God's Way

If you take the romantic, movie and TV assessment, out of  the term love we  have a perfect and doable concept of what God/Jesus asks of people.  The Apostle Paul makes this challenge to think and act towards other possible. He clearly define, in words we can understand, what is and what is not love. 

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.(1Cor. 13:4-6)

Then in Roman's 13 he goes even further to help us understand the depth of this love Jesus invites his follower to, as humanly as possible, perfect. Not that we will ever achieve perfection in loving; but it the goal of living the life God have put before each of us.

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.(Rom. 13:8-10)

 So often we get caught in all the commandments -- the 'rules' of religion. We tend to pick and choose the ones we want to focus on.  But Paul is clear, and so is Jesus, the only thing that needs our attention is the love of God in us. The good news is that God does not expect us to handle this challenge on our own.  He must have known, very soon after creation, that we were incapable of offering our sisters and brothers the pure love he loves us with.  So when he came in Jesus' skin. God's Spirit came along too. That is the Spirit came in a more present and active way here on earth. Then, when God left this earth in physical form, he promised that the Spirit would remain to guide and enable us to live as Jesus came to teach.  That is the cool thing about God, he is always looking out for us and tapping us on the shoulder when we are tempted to mess up.

The Apostle Paul, who began as a persecutor of Jesus' followers, was one of those who was tapped hardly on the shoulders by the Risen Jesus on the way to one of his attacks on Christians.  And God made it very clear to Paul what his message was to be -- God's love and grace to all people.  All people!  Paul defines the call to love in an amazingly clear and undeniable clarity.  

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 

10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 

11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 

12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.

13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.(Rom. 12: 9-13)

When you think about it, it is all just the basic 

stuff we learned in Kindergarten.