Tough Love

5-13-2010
Tough Love

If there is one word to describe the teachings of Christ it could be the word love. We are called to love God above everything, and to love others. For some, showing love toward others may come easy, while for others it can be difficult. I think most of us would agree, showing love for our “enemies” and during difficult situations can be extremely difficult for just about all of us.

If there is one major characteristic of a true Christ follower, it would be an unconditional love for others despite the circumstance or person(s) involved. There have been many times when I’ve had a disagreement with someone, and I didn’t show Christ’s love the way I should have, so I’ve had to apologize. I’ve found it saves me a lot of time to simply love people as Christ’s called us to love people, and move on from the situation. I still fall short at times, as my type A personality still shows his face every once in a while, and when it does I make it right. Find the good in all people, and pray for those that persecute you.

Paul says in Philippians 1:9-11, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God.” As we grow in our relationship with Christ, and in our understanding of Christ, the way we respond to difficult situations will completely change. We will love our enemies, and we will see difficult situations in our lives as an opportunity to minister to others through our words and actions. Instead of getting in an argument or yelling when we are upset, we will respond in a Christ like manner. Paul’s about to be put on trial and is going through imprisonment, yet he writes this letter of JOY! Why is Paul so joyous? Because he gets it! He knows what’s important in life, and equally as important, he has learned what isn’t.

Application:
1.Read Philippians 1:1-11
2.Think about negative situations in your recent past and how you handled them. How would Christ handle them?