In my previous post, I mentioned God's conviction within me about how kindness, patience, and selflessness characterize love (according to I Cor. 13) and that a life of perfect love is the mark of a follower of Jesus. I described how I am attempting to use the definition of love in I Cor. 13 and the fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5 as a measure of movement to maturity toward this life of love that we are called to live (Eph. 5:1-2).
This conviction is strengthened by a closer look at how God leads us to change. Paul asks the following questions in Romans 2 verse 4: "Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (NRS). Paul seems to be indicating that God's primary mode of operation for bringing change in us that leads to repentance is not through judgment or anger but through kindness and patience. Our story consistently bears witness to this as we are reminded that God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love (Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15, 103:8, 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3).
If with God, leadership takes the form of kindness and patience, what form does our leadership often take? Since Paul defined love as patient and kind (I Cor. 13) and described God's leading us to change through kindness (Rom. 2:4), it is reasonable to equate leadership with love in God's interaction with us. Would you describe your leadership as primarily characterized by loving kindness and patience?
Too often our leadership more resembles control and when we desire others to change it is often characterized by frustration, manipulation, and impatience rather than kindness and patience. This is not God's way of leading through love.
To make this more personal, my own challenge is to lead with kindness and patience in my home. My greatest desire is for love to characterize my interactions with people and for that to be especially true at home. There are times, though, when I find myself frustrated and impatient as I attempt to lead my children. Please forgive me Lord and teach me by Your Spirit to love and lead through kindness and patience. I surrender and empty myself that You may do this in me by Your faithfulness and for Your glory!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Love's Way or My Way?
I have been reflecting on all of life and the decisions we make in relationship with God and others. It seems to me that in every situation there are only two choices. It's either all about me or it is all about love.
Quoting the Old Testament (Shema), Jesus said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt 22:37-40). Paul, Peter, and James follow Jesus' lead and also indicate that love is the sum of everything we are commanded. John insists that one cannot love God without first being loved by God, and he also describes that those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters (I John 4:19-21). Jesus also makes it clear that it is our love for one another that demonstrates to the world that we are His followers (John 13:34-35).
Having discussed the importance of unity amidst diverse gifts in the Body of Christ, the apostle Paul described "a still more excellent way" (I Cor. 12:31). This more excellent way is the way of love. Paul says that even if we have amazing faith and service, if it is done without love, we are nothing and we gain nothing (I Cor. 13:1-3). Paul continues by defining love:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (I Cor. 13:4-8a)
This passage is so familiar to many of us that it is easy to gloss over its power and miss what the Spirit can do through it. Have you ever taken time to compare your interactions with your spouse, your family, your neighbors, the stranger with this simple definition? This is what God has been challenging me to do. Can my interactions be described as "patient" and "kind"? If not, it isn't love. Am I irritable and easily angered? Then love is lacking.
What I notice in analyzing this passage is how love is set in contrast to a self-focused life. Envy, boasting, pride, dishonoring others, and self-seeking are the NOT of love. In fact, the impatience and lack of kindness described earlier even point to a self-focus. All of the sudden, this passage sounds less like a sweet wedding homily or a children's lesson and more like a convicting challenge that provides clarity to embodying Jesus' Great Commandment.
As if this wasn't all challenging enough, Paul goes on to show the SCOPE of love's influence. If love only protected, trusted, hoped, and persevered part of the time and seldom failed, then we might be qualified to live it. However, Paul uses these impossible words of ALWAYS and NEVER. Once again, this all sounds great, but how in the world can we possibly embody it? It is as if Paul is challenging us toward perfection. In fact, that is what he is doing. In the context of challenging us to love our enemies, Jesus commands us to "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). As Christ Jesus' followers, we are supposed to live this perfect love.
This is only possible if the Holy Spirit loves through us (after all, love is the fruit of the Spirit - Gal. 5:22-23). We must first experience God's love in Christ (I John 4:19), and in response to God's love we must surrender/empty ourselves (kenosis) to God. This self-emptying ourselves includes laying down (surrendering) our impatience, anger, envy, boasting, pride, dishonoring others, and self-seeking. An empty cup, then, is fill-able by the Holy Spirit. It is an empty cup that the Holy Spirit fills and empowers to live a life of love (Eph. 5:1-2).
This is the challenge that God is bringing me now for it is love that I want to characterize my life. I also have to remember that I am to love others as I love myself, which points back to being confident in who I am in Christ (see previous Blog on Union preceding Kenosis). This self-emptying (kenosis) is not intended to be self-deprecating but simply removing the self-focus so that love can rule the day.
Holy God, thank You for Your extravagant love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord. In response to Your great love and mercy, I deny myself today and ask that Your Holy Spirit will love through me today.
Quoting the Old Testament (Shema), Jesus said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt 22:37-40). Paul, Peter, and James follow Jesus' lead and also indicate that love is the sum of everything we are commanded. John insists that one cannot love God without first being loved by God, and he also describes that those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters (I John 4:19-21). Jesus also makes it clear that it is our love for one another that demonstrates to the world that we are His followers (John 13:34-35).
Having discussed the importance of unity amidst diverse gifts in the Body of Christ, the apostle Paul described "a still more excellent way" (I Cor. 12:31). This more excellent way is the way of love. Paul says that even if we have amazing faith and service, if it is done without love, we are nothing and we gain nothing (I Cor. 13:1-3). Paul continues by defining love:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (I Cor. 13:4-8a)
This passage is so familiar to many of us that it is easy to gloss over its power and miss what the Spirit can do through it. Have you ever taken time to compare your interactions with your spouse, your family, your neighbors, the stranger with this simple definition? This is what God has been challenging me to do. Can my interactions be described as "patient" and "kind"? If not, it isn't love. Am I irritable and easily angered? Then love is lacking.
What I notice in analyzing this passage is how love is set in contrast to a self-focused life. Envy, boasting, pride, dishonoring others, and self-seeking are the NOT of love. In fact, the impatience and lack of kindness described earlier even point to a self-focus. All of the sudden, this passage sounds less like a sweet wedding homily or a children's lesson and more like a convicting challenge that provides clarity to embodying Jesus' Great Commandment.
As if this wasn't all challenging enough, Paul goes on to show the SCOPE of love's influence. If love only protected, trusted, hoped, and persevered part of the time and seldom failed, then we might be qualified to live it. However, Paul uses these impossible words of ALWAYS and NEVER. Once again, this all sounds great, but how in the world can we possibly embody it? It is as if Paul is challenging us toward perfection. In fact, that is what he is doing. In the context of challenging us to love our enemies, Jesus commands us to "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). As Christ Jesus' followers, we are supposed to live this perfect love.
This is only possible if the Holy Spirit loves through us (after all, love is the fruit of the Spirit - Gal. 5:22-23). We must first experience God's love in Christ (I John 4:19), and in response to God's love we must surrender/empty ourselves (kenosis) to God. This self-emptying ourselves includes laying down (surrendering) our impatience, anger, envy, boasting, pride, dishonoring others, and self-seeking. An empty cup, then, is fill-able by the Holy Spirit. It is an empty cup that the Holy Spirit fills and empowers to live a life of love (Eph. 5:1-2).
This is the challenge that God is bringing me now for it is love that I want to characterize my life. I also have to remember that I am to love others as I love myself, which points back to being confident in who I am in Christ (see previous Blog on Union preceding Kenosis). This self-emptying (kenosis) is not intended to be self-deprecating but simply removing the self-focus so that love can rule the day.
Holy God, thank You for Your extravagant love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord. In response to Your great love and mercy, I deny myself today and ask that Your Holy Spirit will love through me today.
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