With a strong affirmation of our goodness and a gentle understanding of our weakness, God is loving us
--you and me--
this moment, just as we are and
not as we should be.
--Brennan Manning (Ruthless Trust)


I think that God’s love is amazing. How many times have I found myself in a place where I would rather just be angry at the disloyalty and disrespect of family and friends. My first reaction would be to “cut them off”... because after all loyalty requires loyalty right?

Well according to Jesus, not so... The more unfaithful we are towards God the more faithful He remains towards us because that is just His nature, to be faithful, and He cannot be any other way. We have been called to be Christlike, the Word of God invites us to be imitators of Christ, and if we are invited to do so then it stands to reason that we are able to do exactly that.

For a long time now I bought into the lie that in order for me to love those around me I need for them to love me first and to be loyal towards me, but reading God’s word AGAIN, He showed me that that is not the truth. Love begets love, you give love and it comes back to you. You cover the sin of those around you by loving them not because of what they give you but because love requires it from you.

I have been a leader in my church for many years and so often the people I serve have been ungrateful and sometimes downright horrible. But because the love of God compelled me and I saw these people through the eyes of the Father I was able to love and serve them faithfully. Then I got to the stage where I began to loose heart and became discouraged, I took my eyes off God and found myself tired and exhausted by the calling of God to serve. I began to dislike (maybe even hate) these people, I used the excuse that I will only be loyal to those who will be loyal to me, after all, there is such a thing as boundaries, "people can't just take advantage of you", "you have needs also, right?" etc...

I eventually realised my life was being consumed with bitterness and hatred and I no longer was able to do what God called me to do. Not only that but I also drifted further and further away from God, which I never thought would happen. Then when God pointed out just how far I drifted from Him and His will and way did I realise that I was in desperate need to find the truth in my life and to find my way back to the heart of my Father. I repented and asked God to lead me back to His ways everlasting. He began to pour His love into my heart and with that, love flooded back into my heart towards the very people I had grown to dislike. I realised that lovingly serving people had nothing to do with their behaviour but rather everything to do with mine.... I thank God that He so patiently loves me when I am unfaithful and imperfect. I thank Him for coming after the one that is lost and bringing me back under the shadow of His wings.

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