The Lord has been working on my heart lately in the area of Love. That seems like it would be easy. "Love" is a nice word and its one I have used to describe a good feeling to something I really really like or to someone. Love is easy to express when you like that person or when that person has made it easy to love them.
But love is so much more than that, it has several areas to it that I sometimes forget to relate to "Love". Love bears all things. Love is patient and kind. Love is a gift, a blessing. Love can be shown through discipline, trials and obstacles. The part of love that I have found difficult is the part dealing with forgiveness.
To love and forgive I must extend grace. Grace is what extends the love and forgiveness when it feels utterly impossible to do so. God gives us that grace. Its through Him that I can love a difficult person or forgive a wrong doing. I have had situations in my life where I know I forgave that person out of my strength in God and not of my own.
I know that I have to love the difficult people in my life. God loves me and I know I can be difficult, but he loves me. Its His love for me that changes my heart. I need to love that person I find difficult at times, so that they can be lead to His love. The Holy spirit can work in their heart as mine is being worked on too.
Its like a win win situation. God loves me, I love others and God loves that person too.
We are responsible to clothe ourselves with Christlike character, but we are dependent on God's Spirit to produce within us His "fruit". We cannot make one inch of progress in sanctification apart from the powerful working of the Spirit in us. And He does this, not because we have earned it with our commitment and discipline, but because of His grace.
Jerry Bridges
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