Be Love!!!

I can’t believe how long it has been, and I’m going to be honest with you, nothing came up, I was simply lazy. I hope you forgive me for my unannounced hiatus. I also hope you got my new year message, if not, it’s not too late since January has refused to end. Happy New Year!!!

Procrastination and laziness pulled me away from you and as I write this, there is still that unwelcome voice telling me to type this later. Maybe this post should be about letting go of the procrastinating spirit, but naaaa, maybe another time. Today I have a post that took me a while to finish, it’s something that has bothered me and is still a bother, it’s about love, yes love.

And no, there is no young man in the vicinity yet. I mean agape love, the kind we are supposed to show our fellow brethren, just as Christ loved us (John 13:34). There is so much going on in the world today, a time so cruel and filled with immense anger and hatred for one another. The constancy of the tales of men being hurt by their fellow man, women being targeted by women and children crying at the mercy of their peers makes me wonder, where exactly is the love in the world? It has become the norm not to love or be kind. A kind heart is ridiculed today and called foolish and it is a thing of pride to be mean to the guy next door just because you can.

How did we get here? Our love has become a commodity we only give at the assurance of a reward in return. We have lost the will to love, lost the desire to help without expecting a return. As we say, it is now “every man for himself”.

Imagine if God decided not to heal anyone again because a whole nine out of ten lepers didn’t show gratitude. Jesus’ love for us isn’t dependent on our acceptance of Him. He loves us irrespective. He was persecuted and betrayed, yet He laid His life down for us.

I remember speaking to a friend recently about how a couple of years back I used to send goodwill messages to random people I hadn’t spoken to in a while, and it felt really good, because I genuinely just wanted to be sure they were doing well, no expectations of anything in return. And then I mentioned this deed to someone close to me and she said things about how it’s not necessary since they don’t check on me and probably don’t care about me either. I thought those words didn’t make an impact till a few months down the line I found myself struggling to do the same because I thought to myself, “Why should I, they don’t check on me anyway”, this slowly became my thought process and now I can’t remember the last time I sent such a message even though I get an impression to do so every now and then. An act of kindness and genuine concern has become a difficult task because I began to seek a reward for simply loving. I definitely have started making efforts to revive that side of me. Notwithstanding the possibility of a need for some relationships to end, it is important that you not let the reaction of others alter your actions of love.

It is important to understand that it will be difficult to show love if we haven’t accepted the love of Christ in our lives. He has loved us with an everlasting love(Jeremiah 31:3), one that is pure and without blame or bias. He loves us, with all the flaws and the mess that is within us, He loves us and wants to be a part of our lives and make us whole. If you haven’t, it is important that you give your life to Him today, only through Him can the essence of love be understood.

GOD LOVES YOU!!

Having said that, why should I show love, why should I separate from this present state of survival? Well Jesus has instructed us to do so (John 13:34). As believers in Christ, we are to be like Christ and Christ is the embodiment of love. He laid His life down for us, even when He knew we would take Him for granted, He loved us still!

It is also an avenue to show Christ to the people around you. God is love (1John 4:18), and whoever does not love doesn’t know God. Do you know God? Do you love? If you do then He can definitely be seen in you as you show love and shine His light (Matthew 5:16). As the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), do your actions bring light to people’s lives or do you leave an echo of darkness in your wake. As the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), do your actions and words leave a bitter taste in the lives of those you encounter? We have been called to be a gleam of hope, a ray of happiness in the lives of those that cross our path.

Are there other reasons,oh yes, there are rewards. Taking a brief look at Matthew 5:5, 7 and 9, we will uncover some of these rewards. As is the nature of a lot of us when we study the scriptures, we tend to tap into blessings and “receive it” without studying to understand that the conditions attached to it are not just for you to recite when you feel like reminding yourself of the blessing, but for you to actually do. They are conditions, hence, actions precede outcome.

Let’s look at the the meek for example, (Matthew 5:5). I have recited and inherited the earth verbally so many times without actually asking myself if I am meek. The Greek word for meek, ‘praus’, means ‘gentle’, ‘considerable’, ‘unassuming’, ‘showing kindness and love for others’, another translation says ‘to be under strong(God’s) control’, to exhibit power without undue harshness. There you have it, are you meek? I know I’m not entirely there yet, but I will be by God’s grace.

Verse 7 talks about the merciful obtaining Mercy. Sometimes we feel it is too hard to be this loving person because of how we have been treated by people, but Matthew 5:44-48 encourages us to love our enemies and those who persecute us. And it may look like a scripture that is difficult to obey, but one of my favourite scriptures (Hebrews 4:15) reminds me that these instructions were not given as far fetched laws that can’t be upheld. Christ, tempted in every way that we have and will ever be tempted, was able to withstand temptation and was without sin, so we can as well. C. S. Lewis said, “To be a christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you”.

I have been told I tend to add fuel to a fire rather than look for ways to quench it, I sincerely hope this is not true. But think about it, are you known for quenching fires or starting one? Remember that the peacemakers shall be called sons of God (Matthew 5:9).

Try to imagine the last altercation you had, did you over react, could the situation have been avoided, did you miss an opportunity to be meek and to be a peace maker, I can think of one of such situations. Knowing all this, it is my prayer that the grace to love unconditionaly and represent Christ in all our doings will be given to us, whatever emotional battle we are struggling with that is hindering us from fully giving ourselves to the love of Christ will come to an end today. I also pray for strength to overcome every voice that is speaking against the will of God in your life, and may His love overwhelm you, Amen

In this world filled with a multitude of angry people, I urge you today, be the exception, stand out, BE LOVE!!! Have a love filled week.