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How To Be A Great Lover!
'Be kind to one another, tender hearted' Ephesians 4:32
Jesus is crystal clear that the greatest commandment is: Love God with everything you've got. He doesn't leave us in the blurry with the second either: Love people the way you'd like to be loved. The key word here is 'commandment'.
A command is an order - not a nice idea, an order. Nazi Germany wasn't defeated in the Second World War because somebody had a nice idea; success came from scores of obedient men and women following strict orders.
Likewise, God's kingdom won't be made visible if we pick and choose Jesus' 'nice ideas'. Loving people is an order of the highest importance if we're serious in making God known.
Loving people means being quick to forgive. So many of us have got 'Don't double-cross me' tattooed on our hearts - which only adds to all that's wrong in our world.
Forgiveness releases our grip around someone's neck. Loving people means serving. Jesus washed the verucas off His disciples grubby feet. If the king of the heavens can do that then surely we can put the kettle on for a mate.
Loving people means practicing kindness. A kind word, a friendly smile, an unexpected email, a surprise gift through the post - they're all small ways of revealing God's kingdom.
But don't just take our word for it, 'If God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and His love becomes complete in us - perfect love!' (1 John 4:21 TM).
written by Bob Gass
'Be kind to one another, tender hearted' Ephesians 4:32
Jesus is crystal clear that the greatest commandment is: Love God with everything you've got. He doesn't leave us in the blurry with the second either: Love people the way you'd like to be loved. The key word here is 'commandment'.
A command is an order - not a nice idea, an order. Nazi Germany wasn't defeated in the Second World War because somebody had a nice idea; success came from scores of obedient men and women following strict orders.
Likewise, God's kingdom won't be made visible if we pick and choose Jesus' 'nice ideas'. Loving people is an order of the highest importance if we're serious in making God known.
Loving people means being quick to forgive. So many of us have got 'Don't double-cross me' tattooed on our hearts - which only adds to all that's wrong in our world.
Forgiveness releases our grip around someone's neck. Loving people means serving. Jesus washed the verucas off His disciples grubby feet. If the king of the heavens can do that then surely we can put the kettle on for a mate.
Loving people means practicing kindness. A kind word, a friendly smile, an unexpected email, a surprise gift through the post - they're all small ways of revealing God's kingdom.
But don't just take our word for it, 'If God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and His love becomes complete in us - perfect love!' (1 John 4:21 TM).
written by Bob Gass
