CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 970

 “Learning Love”

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Have you ever received a gift that you later gave to someone else? Perhaps it was a gift that you neither wanted nor needed. You graciously accepted it feigning joy and then regifted it to someone else later. For some, this regifting practice is considered to be in poor taste. However, there is a gift that God gave us that He expects us to regift. God expects us to regift the gift of His love that He has given us through Jesus Christ, His Son.

An acrostic for ‘LOVE’, Listen, Overlook, Value, and Express has been used to describe it in practical terms. These are learned behaviors that develop as we grow in our relationship to God.

Learn to Listen sacrificially – Most of us, if we do listen at all, listen selfishly. Our minds remain preoccupied elsewhere. With God’s help we can learn to actively listen to others, seeking discernment to hear what is not being said but to hear what lies at the heart and root of their spoken words. Sometimes it is not for us to speak at all – only to listen to their heart and to be a comfort to them by our caring presence. The gift of listening tells your spouse, child, friend, stranger or co-worker that they are more important to you at that moment than your personal agenda and that they are loved.

Learn to Overlook – God loved us when were unlovable and steeped in sin. How many of us harbor bitterness for an offense from years past? How many of us remain estranged from family and friends because we refuse to forgive and overlook an offense? It is not enough to say that we will forgive them if they reach out to us. In order to regift the gift of God’s love, we must reach out to them first as He did when He gave His Son, Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. Remember, He will forgive us as we forgive others.

Learn to Value – All human life is sacred. Our world society has sought to indoctrinate us in the lie that we are merely an evolved animal and that our unborn children are an expendable choice. The selfish desire for the good life and the material things of this world are at the root of the argument for choice. Our value system has been corrupted so that it is inwardly and selfishly focused. We value ourselves before we value others, even to the point of euthanizing the elderly and murdering the unborn. In a more subtle fashion, Jesus taught that if we harbored hate in our heart for another human being that we are just as guilty as the one who murders another. In order to regift the gift of God’s love we must get rid of our prejudices based upon social class, religion, nationality or skin color. We must become socially active in our elections and vote based upon Biblical moral values, not the values of economic gain. We cannot justify the trade off of valuing economic growth and prosperity over the value of human life.

Learn to Express Love – Love is expressed in action as well as words. We can tell our spouse or children that we love them repeatedly but if our actions do not demonstrate it then our words are empty and hollow. Love expressed is that ‘cup of water’ given to a thirsty stranger that Jesus talked about. Can we love as Jesus loves? Can we sacrifice our selfish desires, even for a moment and put a priority on meeting the needs of others over our own?

Receive the gift of God’s Love and continually regift it to others as He continually pours out His grace and love through Jesus into your life.