A Call to Love...

"Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs." Proverbs 10:12

I have found myself throughout my life not loving through all things. The first part of this verse talks about stirring up dissension. I know that in my own life that I have participated in this type of action quite often. When someone wrongs us, it is natural for our human nature to get upset and wanting to cause dissension with this person. We just want satisfaction in knowing we caused them some small pain for the large open wound they created in us.

but even so God calls us to love. not just any love, but unconditional, agape love. now this is impossible because it is perfect love and we cannot attian Christ's perfection, but we can use our our own situations as opportunities to imitate that type of love. the last part of the verse talks about love covering up all wrongs. Christ is giving us the answer on how to resolve wrongs that were made against us...it's not by hartred, revenge, or bitterness...but love. that will be the greatest satisfaction of all. Loving the way Christ did.

i feel that i have a hard time expressing this type of love...and the more i try, the harder it gets. it seems to me that the people that i try to love, and that are some of the hardest to love, throw it back in my face over and over again. this wears me down to where i either want to give up, or i want stir up dissention with this person. but then i thought about it... This throwing back in the face thing, we do that to Christ all of the time. and i'm sure we all know this in a small way, but look deeper at it. Christ loves ALL of us. even those who do not love him in return and never will. He never gets weary or tired or bitter etc...but just keeps on giving us grace and mercy. wow... unfathomable.

what a great God we serve and what a perfect example to follow on how to love.

may we never forget it.