"L" is for the way you look at me?

Have you ever pondered what it means to love someone? I mean, really think about it? Not in the mushy gushy sense, but in a true, God honoring manner? This has been on my heart a lot lately, so I thought I'd share what I've been learning.

I was blessed to attend a Worship Seminar with Tom Kraueter this past weekend and one of my favorite quotes from the day was, "You cannot separate the Horizontal from the Vertical". In short, this means that God has so closely tied Himself to His people that how we relate to them is really how we relate to God. Tom used the example that when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is (Matthew 22:36-39) He responded by giving two: love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. The words to follow show the connection, "the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself."

Many times throughout the Word, God declares that we are to love those around us. In Matthew 25:35-40 Jesus describes that when we have compassion for those in need and showing love, we are really honoring the Lord. Again, in Romans 15:2 it says, "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." and Romans 12:10, "Love one another with brotherly affection. outdo one another in showing honor." Are you catching a theme?

1 Corinthians 13 is well known for being the "love chapter" of the Bible, as it gives us a clear definition of what true love looks like. "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." -verses 4-8a. The part that I italicized has stood out to me this week, as God has been teaching me that love is unselfish.

What does it mean to be unselfish? The dictionary's definition of it states: altruistic, which means "concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others". By putting others before us, we are loving them with the Love that Christ left as an example for us. The ultimate display of love was on Calvary, and we are called to love that same way. While I'm not insisting that you go die your for family and friends, I believe God is calling us to love them in the same unselfish way that Christ did for us.

Read Philippians 2:1-11 and see for yourself!