"God loves you and I'm trying." ~ Bumper sticker
My grandmother had this not as a bumper sticker but in the form of a baby on board caution sign. I thought it was funny then, and now I believe that there was some truth to the statement. I do believe she tried to love others the way Christ did. She failed miserably. So do I. And so do you.
If you've heard me preach or read my writing on a regular basis then you've heard or read that grace is not the freedom to sin but rather the freedom not to sin. No matter how hard we try, we can't walk with God on our own power and we can't stop sinning by our own determination and strength. We also can't love. Sure we can love certain people, like our family, but even that love will fail and often be tainted with selfishness. But to truly love those we encounter throughout our day the way that God wants us to love them, the way that God wants us to love ourselves, the way that Christ loves them....we just can't. So stop trying so hard.
That's right, stop trying. Instead fall on the grace of God to do for us and through us what we can't do ourselves. Instead of trying to love someone that our old nature really doesn't want to love, let's ask for the grace to get out of the way and let Daddy love them through us. Let Daddy be in control of our actions and reactions, facial expressions and tongues/keyboards when it comes to that person. Let God do the loving. We won't be able to tell the difference and neither will they, and when we see what the love of God can do in the life of another we may be more quick to apply it liberally. The love of God flowing through us will teach us and cause us to love. We can't teach ourselves or manufacture love we don't have, but we can be as filled with His love for others as we want. All it takes is surrender.
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