1 John 4: 7, 8 "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." Do you ever struggle with loving others unconditionally? When a family member does something that really irritates you for the 3rd + time that day, do you respond in a loving way - like Jesus would - in patience and longsuffering? What are you "known for"? Does your family see you as gentle and gracious, or cranky and ugly? When difficult life situations arise and you find yourself getting anxious, do you let your emotions dictate the way you respond to others, or turn to Christ in prayer to be able to respond in a gracious way? What spiritual fruit are you producing - sweet, ripe, juicy fruit, or old, moldy, rotten fruit? These are all questions I've been asking myself for many months... As the oldest sibling of 9, I have had an incredible opportunity to watch my younger sisters and brothers grow and mature and help teach/train some of them up for the LORD. With that title as "oldest sibling" though, there is a great responsibility to be a godly example of what a Christian is to be - in all aspects. In some cases, the oldest one in a family has more of an influence on the younger ones than the parents themselves. What a sobering thought and huge responsibility! About a year or so ago, the LORD opened my eyes to one of my major faults: not loving my siblings unconditionally, to be able to respond to frustrations in a loving, Christlike way. The example I was setting forth was not the way Jesus would respond, nor was it the way I would want to be treated (Luke 6: 31). Over the past few months, little by little, the LORD led me to Bible verses, quotes and book excerpts, which aided in learning how to love in an unconditional way - overlooking minor irritations and faults in other people. In the paragraphs below, I'm sharing what the LORD has graciously taught me, and because it is so close to my heart, I couldn't help but collect my thoughts together and write a post on this subject. I cannot possibly cover all aspects of how one can show unconditional love towards others, since there is such variety in individual's walks in life, but here is a start. Why Should We Love Others?God loved us first and sent His only Son to redeem a people for Himself. No greater love has ever been shown here on earth. If we are true Christ-followers, we will be known by the love we show to others out of the love we have for our Savior. 1 John 4: 9-11 "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." (emphasis added) John 13: 34, 35 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." What is Love?Love is an action! It is living in a way towards others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6: 31). "Love is not a feeling. It is an overmastering passion to help and bless and deliver and comfort and strengthen and give joy to others just as the Lord Jesus always did. According to 1 Corinthians 13: 1-8, love:
How Do We Love Unconditionally?This is often the most difficult part! We know the why, but not exactly the how behind these truths found in God's Word. There is a helpful acronym I heard a little while ago from a conference speaker, which spells out HEART - a perfect reminder of how love is shown to others. H - Humble E - Encouraging A - Available R - Reliable T - Tender "1. The first characteristic of true love is humility: the pouring of oneself down lower and lower in self-effacement and self-denial. The message of running water always is, 'Go lower. Find the lowest place. That is the only way to true fulfillment.' There are a few practical ways I've learned that helps me to show love to others - particularly my siblings. Here are some of them:
One last thing I want to mention is, remember to give thanks for the dear people you rub shoulders with day in and day out. Remember that God has placed you in the family and position that you are in for a specific purpose. "Be content with such things as ye have" (Heb. 13: 5), because our sovereign LORD is orchestrating "all things together for good" (Rom. 8: 28), and has you exactly where He wants you! Take heart that God will never leave or forsake you - no matter what - and trust in Him alone. God is the LORD of love and is the ultimate example we have to follow...seek His face and He will guide you by His loving hand. I want to encourage you to look for ways to show unconditional love to the people you might struggle with, in particular. Ask the LORD to help you to love like Jesus, so others will see Him through you. The next time your flesh wants to respond harshly to conflict, stop and ask yourself, "how would Jesus respond?" There is a reason that the first mentioned fruit of the spirit, is love. It is the most important, most difficult to learn, most rewarding character quality to possess. 1 Corinthians 13: 13 says, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." May the LORD bless you as you strive to love others in a Christlike way!
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Just last week...Our family secretly traveled out to Arizona for a once-in-a-lifetime event. My dad's parents celebrated 50 years of marriage!!! What an exciting visit it was! My grandparents had no idea we were coming out there, and it was decided to surprise them at their favorite restaurant the day we arrived. They were shocked and we were overjoyed that the secret was kept for so many months! A couple of days later, we all headed over to a hiking scenic trail to get some family photos taken in the beautiful AZ sunset. The LORD really blessed that day...the weather was so pretty, everyone was well and healthy, the sun appeared later in the day after a morning of clouds, and the photos captured many smiling faces set up in good positions (something difficult to accomplish at times!). : ) We praise the LORD for Grammy & Pa's example of faithfulness to each other, the LORD, children and grandchildren. The verse that comes to mind is, Proverbs 13: 22, which says, "A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children..." Praise the LORD for the what He has done! Well, without further ado... Here are some photos! The entire Nelson family-
L to R: the Brady Nelson family, the Gary Nelson family (my grandparents) and the Blake Nelson family |
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