Before Him in Love
For the last few days, I have had the last part of Eph. 1:4 stuck in my mind: "before Him in love." Whether we realize it or not, we live our lives before God. He pays attention to how we treat people. We know this is important to Him because Jesus told us the second command is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:39).
In the story about the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) we see that everyone we come across is our neighbor. In Paul's first letter to Timothy, we see exactly what that entails.
[Charge them] to do good, to be rich in good works, to be liberal and generous of heart, ready to share [with others], in this way laying up for themselves [the riches that endure forever as] a good foundation for the future so that they may grasp that which is life indeed.
1 Tim. 6:18-19 The Amplified Bible
The same verse in the Message Bible says:
- to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they will build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
We are called to love to all people, just as God loves us. The greatest way to show love is to treat people with respect. We are all made in the image of God and we are all important to Him, even if we deny His existence or turn away from Him. Our beliefs or behaviors do not negate the existance of a loving and merciful God. In fact, the opposite is true, because only out of His great love for us does He give us free choice.
I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never - I promise - regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind. Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults - unless of course, you want the same treatment.
Luke 6:35-37 The Message Bible
I find it interesting how many people automatically think of money when the word "generous" is said. All these verses show us that being generous with money is not as important as treating every person the way that God treats us. I learned this lesson again, last week.
I had issues with one of my neighbors and I was treating her badly. One day I heard her call me a name and it really bothered me because I am not normally ugly to anyone. So I took the whole situation to God. I talked to Him about what I thought and what I wanted but God (I love saying that!...but God) showed me that my attitude was wrong. What kind of representative of Jesus was I being with her? It hurt. I apologized to God and asked Him to make the relationship right. To my surprise, He had me buy the two items of hers that I had messed up. This was not easy but a couple of days later I bought the items and left them in a bag hanging on her door. When I ran into her several days after that, she asked me if I had left the bag on her door. I admitted it was me and told her I was sorry for the way I had behaved. She gave me a big smile and thanked me. Now I have a new friend.
Doing good things and treating people with dignity do not have to cost money. Holding doors, giving compliments, and listening are just a couple of ways we can show love to people. A smile can do wonders for a hurting heart. Prayer has the power to change people and circumstances. All these actions are seeds of love that we can plant in the lives of the people around us. Give the love and mercy you have received from God to every person you meet.
Don't concern yourself about being treated the same way. Remind yourself that what you plant is what you will harvest. If you are planting seeds of love, your life will abound with love.
We are all called and chosen by God to live before Him in love.
Heidirn
In the story about the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) we see that everyone we come across is our neighbor. In Paul's first letter to Timothy, we see exactly what that entails.
[Charge them] to do good, to be rich in good works, to be liberal and generous of heart, ready to share [with others], in this way laying up for themselves [the riches that endure forever as] a good foundation for the future so that they may grasp that which is life indeed.
1 Tim. 6:18-19 The Amplified Bible
The same verse in the Message Bible says:
- to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they will build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
We are called to love to all people, just as God loves us. The greatest way to show love is to treat people with respect. We are all made in the image of God and we are all important to Him, even if we deny His existence or turn away from Him. Our beliefs or behaviors do not negate the existance of a loving and merciful God. In fact, the opposite is true, because only out of His great love for us does He give us free choice.
I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never - I promise - regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind. Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults - unless of course, you want the same treatment.
Luke 6:35-37 The Message Bible
I find it interesting how many people automatically think of money when the word "generous" is said. All these verses show us that being generous with money is not as important as treating every person the way that God treats us. I learned this lesson again, last week.
I had issues with one of my neighbors and I was treating her badly. One day I heard her call me a name and it really bothered me because I am not normally ugly to anyone. So I took the whole situation to God. I talked to Him about what I thought and what I wanted but God (I love saying that!...but God) showed me that my attitude was wrong. What kind of representative of Jesus was I being with her? It hurt. I apologized to God and asked Him to make the relationship right. To my surprise, He had me buy the two items of hers that I had messed up. This was not easy but a couple of days later I bought the items and left them in a bag hanging on her door. When I ran into her several days after that, she asked me if I had left the bag on her door. I admitted it was me and told her I was sorry for the way I had behaved. She gave me a big smile and thanked me. Now I have a new friend.
Doing good things and treating people with dignity do not have to cost money. Holding doors, giving compliments, and listening are just a couple of ways we can show love to people. A smile can do wonders for a hurting heart. Prayer has the power to change people and circumstances. All these actions are seeds of love that we can plant in the lives of the people around us. Give the love and mercy you have received from God to every person you meet.
Don't concern yourself about being treated the same way. Remind yourself that what you plant is what you will harvest. If you are planting seeds of love, your life will abound with love.
We are all called and chosen by God to live before Him in love.
Heidirn
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