Jesus Christ walks with a child among the clouds on their way to heaven.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST
 Jesus, the Son of God, the ultimate example of loving others unconditionally, displayed many opportunities of love to those who were considered unclean, outsiders, and destitute.
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And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31
Love defined biblically is Agapao (Greek) – to love in a social or moral sense; be loved. To welcome or entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly.
    How many times have we come across someone that was homeless? Or the lady walking the streets in her provocative outfits? How about the person with the grocery cart, screaming loud for all to hear and no one is around? What is our action? We make a beeline across the street, ignore them, or wait for them to pass by before we even step out on the sidewalk.
Loving others can be difficult, especially when a person’s actions or lifestyle goes against what we want to encounter. How do you get past that and love them unconditionally? It is not easy, when your flesh is in the way crying out, “No, I do not want to have anything to do with them!” Sometimes our flesh speaks so loudly we cannot hear the still, small voice telling us to settle down, listen and love.     Â
What does love look like in a situation like this? 1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us what love is. Love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).
 Jesus, the Son of God, the ultimate example of loving others unconditionally, displayed many opportunities of love to those who were considered unclean, outsiders, and destitute.  Zacchaeus, the tax collector, (see Luke 19:1-10 NKJV), is one example. Many hated those who collected taxes and regarded them with complete disdain. They were sinners, they were Jews, however, they did not follow the laws of their culture. Therefore, in this timeframe, they were also considered outsiders. Remember the saying, “what would Jesus do?” Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he is also the son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost”.
In this case, He also said to Zacchaeus, “Make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” Notice how Jesus did not catch up with Zacchaeus in a dark alley and say these things, he pronounced them loud and clear for all to hear. Jesus publicly accepted him just as he was. Another prime example would be the woman with the issue of blood, in the book of Luke 8:43-48, this woman was an outcast, sickly, rejected and alone. How many years did this woman live without the touch of another human, or a kind word being spoken to her? After many years of seeking physicians care and not being cured, experiencing rejection and shame, maybe she had become bitter. Maybe one day she heard that a Rabbi was coming who could heal the sick, cleanse lepers and who had raised the dead. Maybe she also heard that this Rabbi was kind, thoughtful and could make her whole.
Could it be that all this information preceded His visit to this city? After getting the courage, seeing herself free from this issue of blood, she thought if I could just get to Him, possibly he can heal me too! She said to herself, “If I could but touch the hem of His garment, I shall be made whole.” After carefully wrapping herself, she pressed her way through the crowd, so that she would not be recognized. People who saw her undoubtedly, got out of her way immediately! She made it to the Master, there were throngs of people surrounding Him. Yet still, she found a way to touch Him. Jesus, turning around, and when He saw her, he said, “Be of good cheer, daughter, your faith has made you well.”  He did not reject her, deny her or cause a scene, that could have further damaged her. He gave her identity, accepting her as His own, and declaring she was made whole.
   What will it take to change our heart to reflect what Jesus did? As it is written, we are created in His image. We have what is takes to be more like Jesus, that is to reflect the heart of the Father. It is important to remove ourselves from the picture. What does that mean? It simply means we must rely on the Lord to change us from the inside out. How does this happen you may ask? Relationship with the Father, communing with Him daily. Notice in the scriptures that Jesus went away to pray. Prayer is a time of communicating with the Lord. My prayers of late have been for the Lord to change me from the inside out. I want to be more like You. Think about it, what can I do in this flesh? Remember, in 1 Corinthians 13, we were discussing what love is? Let’s go back and look at 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have al faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my good to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing”. If we do all these actions and have not love, we gain nothing towards the Kingdom of Heaven. The bible tells us that God is love (see 1 John 4:16). He wants us to be like Him. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV). Does not our good works, that the Holy Spirit has preordained require that we take the time to show love? How will anyone know we are of the Kingdom of God, if we are too busy or afraid to approach others to show God’s love?
    There are occasions when we are to show love, but we are too tired, not feeling well or just plain busy. What do we do then? I know personally, there are occasions where I do not want to be bothered with people, then I get that phone call or text message. Doesn’t it seem weird at the most inopportune moment those kinds of things just seem to pop up out of the blue? Yes, I must bite my tongue and take that call or respond to that message. Why? Because I know that something greater is at stake. I have come to realize that life is bigger than me, and if I am asking to be changed from the inside out, then the opportunities to change will come, conveniently and inconveniently. Ultimately, it is how do we respond when we need to be the answer that someone needs? We must think outside of the box and be willing to take the challenge head on. No, it will not always be easy, yes, it is an opportunity to help someone to know that they are loved, needed and wanted.
It may be as simple as giving a homeless person, that meal you just purchased at McDonalds. It could be calling someone to check on them to see if they are ok, even if they complain about what they are going through. Understand and know this, you are more than just a person put on this earth to serve yourself. You are created to help others to learn to love, and to be a blessing to others. Ask yourself, are you willing to be a vessel, used by God, to help others to be the best that they can be? Ask the Lord, what can I do for You today? Psalm 46:10 tells us to “Be Still and Know that IAMGOD.” He is not going to tell you to do anything wrong, but He will teach you how to be a vessel of pure and holy love. Today, many are selfish, self-centered and self-serving. You may know someone who is going through Divorce, grieving a loved one, addictions to name a few. If you can just dedicate a moment of your time, heart and love to hear the Holy Spirit say, call this person, provide for this person, pray for them. I guarantee it will change your life.
In closing, doing love God’s way, is not easy. However, once you allow yourself to step out of your comfort zone, you may even surprise yourself. Take the time to pray and hear what the Lord wants you to do. He will bring people across your mind to pray for. Remember, it is never about you, but about the one person you are called to. This is how we change the world…One love action at a time.
Be the difference, be the change, operate in love with your whole heart.
Davina Stallworth
Author: Shift! From fear to Faith!
Hopefull Messenger: Messenger of Hope
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