Are You More Loving?
Are you more loving? Answering that question could be the true barometer of spiritual growth. For years, I’ve been teaching others that we know we are growing in spiritual maturity as we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in increasing measure. However, what binds them all together is love. As Paul said, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3:14).
We all know that when asked about the greatest command, Jesus responded with love: love God (with everything) and love others. In John 13:34-35 he says something a little different. He tells his disciples that he is giving them a “new command.” This is very similar to the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus says, “You have heard it said..., but I say...” Here, Jesus takes the command to love your neighbor as yourself and puts a different spin on it. He tells his disciples to love others “as he has loved them.”
You heard me. True disciples of Christ will not only love others as they love themselves, but they will also love others as Christ loved them. What does that mean? Christ loved and forgave people of all their sins (not just the ones he chose). He sacrificed himself for the “worst” and the “best.” Can you love like that?
When we love like Jesus loved, then we show all humankind that we are disciples of Jesus. We are most unlike Jesus when we fail to love. One can excel in preaching, teaching, witnessing, biblical knowledge, insight, faith, service, missions, praying, and giving, but if we lack love it is meaningless. Take a moment and read through 1 Cor. 13:1-8, a familiar passage. I have left blanks for you to insert your name in. Does this describe you?
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. _________ is patient, _________ is kind. _________ does not envy, _________ does not boast, _________ is not proud. _________ does not dishonor others, ____________ is not self-seeking, ____________is not easily angered, ____________keeps no record of wrongs. _________ not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. _________ protects, _________ trusts, _________ always hopes, _________ always perseveres. Love never fails.... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
The clincher in this is that true Christlike love is demonstrated most when we love those who do not love us (when we love our enemies). We most resemble Christ when we love those who are the most difficult to love and who have even brought us intentional harm. God-love is love that flows from God and is willingly poured out through you. Are you willing to allow that love to flow from you, even when everything in you screams otherwise?
Here are some ways in which we can cultivate this kind of love:
Meditate on love as the most important distinguishing mark of a Christian.
Let your heart be often warmed by the fire of God’s love.
Discover assurance that God is your Father by loving as he loves.
Delight in imitating God.
Recognize every person as a unique image of God and love them as such.
Identify relationships where you most need to grow in love.
Take the initiative in showing love, especially where you have little or no expectation of love in return.
Work on growing in the fruit of the Spirit and 1 Cor. 13 in increasing measure. You know if you are increasing in each of them by how others describe you.
To grow in love means to grow in God. One of the sure signs that you are growing spiritually is that you demonstrate a deeper love for God and others, and yes, even your enemies. To know God is to love, period. Let us spend time assessing our love for God and others. To his glory, may our love abound more and more, even as we see hate rising around us! I pray people come to know God through these difficult times as his children rise up and demonstrate Christlike love. How amazing that would be!
