Love and Discernment
"Why did I say that?" This is what ran through my minds seconds after I said it. We were talking about the need for both love and discernment in our Philippians Bible Study and I made a statement that love "is willing to do whatever it takes". "But I don't believe that anymore," I thought to myself. The conversation moved on and so did my thoughts. It wasn't until later in the day that I returned to my questions about what love is willing to do.
Let me rewind. In my late 20's, I was convinced that loving others meant "doing whatever it takes" to help them. Love is to be self-sacrificing and Jesus had said, "greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13 NIV). I assumed this meant if I just gave enough, things would get better. And when they didn't, I grew anxious. Somehow I knew I wasn't living the kind of love Jesus was talking about but I wasn't sure what needed to change in me. Eventually I came to realize was that I didn't have "whatever it takes". I am limited. I am only one person and I am not God. In fact, God has given me responsibilities to do that no one else can do. These responsibilities impact my capacity to do other things. The fact that we all have God-given responsibilities influences exactly what we are able to do/not do for someone else because they have things that only they can do. There are also, of course, things that only God can do. In order to sort out what is mine to do/not do, I need discernment. That's where this beautiful and applicable prayer from Paul comes in:
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-12 (NIV)
So if I had the opportunity to repeat the conversation I was having on Thursday, I think I might have defined love something like this: the desire for the best for another; genuine concern for another; or a willingness to suffer and sacrifice according to God's will for the benefit of another. I am repenting of thinking that I have "whatever it takes". Only God has that. And Jesus has already done "what it took" for humanity to be reconciled to God. The Father's giving and Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is the definition of love.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10
When we connect love to God giving Jesus and Jesus giving His life, we are on the right path. The significant thing for us when we "lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters" is that we are giving or offering things that we possess, that are ours. We can not lay down that which we don't have a hold of. This takes me back to the growth in understanding my own responsibilities and limits. And to the need for "knowledge and depth of insight, so that [I] may be able to discern what is best".
I'm so glad we have Paul's example of this prayer. I encourage you to pray it for yourself and those you love.
in Christ,
Tracy
Let me rewind. In my late 20's, I was convinced that loving others meant "doing whatever it takes" to help them. Love is to be self-sacrificing and Jesus had said, "greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13 NIV). I assumed this meant if I just gave enough, things would get better. And when they didn't, I grew anxious. Somehow I knew I wasn't living the kind of love Jesus was talking about but I wasn't sure what needed to change in me. Eventually I came to realize was that I didn't have "whatever it takes". I am limited. I am only one person and I am not God. In fact, God has given me responsibilities to do that no one else can do. These responsibilities impact my capacity to do other things. The fact that we all have God-given responsibilities influences exactly what we are able to do/not do for someone else because they have things that only they can do. There are also, of course, things that only God can do. In order to sort out what is mine to do/not do, I need discernment. That's where this beautiful and applicable prayer from Paul comes in:
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-12 (NIV)
So if I had the opportunity to repeat the conversation I was having on Thursday, I think I might have defined love something like this: the desire for the best for another; genuine concern for another; or a willingness to suffer and sacrifice according to God's will for the benefit of another. I am repenting of thinking that I have "whatever it takes". Only God has that. And Jesus has already done "what it took" for humanity to be reconciled to God. The Father's giving and Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is the definition of love.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10
When we connect love to God giving Jesus and Jesus giving His life, we are on the right path. The significant thing for us when we "lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters" is that we are giving or offering things that we possess, that are ours. We can not lay down that which we don't have a hold of. This takes me back to the growth in understanding my own responsibilities and limits. And to the need for "knowledge and depth of insight, so that [I] may be able to discern what is best".
I'm so glad we have Paul's example of this prayer. I encourage you to pray it for yourself and those you love.
in Christ,
Tracy
Comments
Post a Comment