Romans 13:10-Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Depending how “in-tune” we are with our heart, we generally know when our love has “waned”. That’s why the goal is to “catch” any hardness in our hearts, that it does not affect our thoughts and eventually our actions, so we can call our love for God and people sincere. (2 Corinthians 11:3, 1 Peter 1:22)
This doesn’t mean that we will always “feel” loving, but if we are honestly examining our hearts before the Lord, and listen to how we talk (to ourselves) or towards others, we’ll get a general idea of where our heart is. (Matthew 12:34-37)
Now if we expand that to everyone we see and come in contact with as Christians, the mandate to “love our neighbor as ourselves” is the most humbling and daunting task ever! So not examining our hearts while professing to live for Christ, can cause us to harbor all kinds of sins, leading to loveless people, marriages, homes, and Churches. (1 Corinthians 11:28)
It’s interesting that the concept “to treat people how you want to be treated” is taught even in public schools at a young age in our country. But what is simplistic as a concept, is impossible without Jesus. Because what they bypass is reality, and how being “wronged” can cause bitterness and a hard heart, that may not empathize with that person/people ever again! (Hebrews 12:15)
But Jesus knowing this, commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, as if wewronged someone and desire their forgiveness/love restored back to us. Yet God expects even more, by Paul stating that true love does no wrong to his/her neighbor, wow! So if we are truly trying to walk in the love of Christ, how honest have we been in confessing the wrong we do to people? It’s the lack of repentance to be cleansed of what we harbor in our hearts, that keeps us from receiving the love of Christ and displaying it to people. (Matthew 15:19-20)
Examine whether sincere love is being cultivated, by confessing to God what keeps you from loving people like you desire to be loved? Doing wrong to anyone starts in our heart/mind, until something eventually provokes that loveless (wrong) act. (Matthew 12:35)-In His Love, Ld
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