13 Feb Practice Love!
February 12, 2024
Practice Love!
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9 NASB
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. I John 4:7-8
“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” (often credited to the legendary football coach Vince Lombardi). Practice means to perform or work repeatedly to become proficient. It is the application in our vocations, personal relationships, and interactions with others.
Why do we have to practice love? To get better at it. Our muscles get stiff if we don’t exercise, and an athlete’s game is off if he does not practice consistently. Love is needed, wanted, and required. Love is a command, not an option; Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34
Love takes work and commitment, but we have help and examples to follow.
Romans 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” The Holy Ghost is our teacher; that is why it’s essential to be saved and in a relationship with God, the Father, God, the Son, God, and the Holy Spirit. God, the Father, nurtures, protects, creates, and does these things because we are His children. He is selfless, giving His only son for us so we can have a better life. We, as parents, do this too by doing the things necessary for our children. There is no sports game viewing tonight; Jimmy needs help with his homework; cancel that new golf club purchase, hair, nails, and the new outfitā¦the children or someone else needs my time, money, and attention.
It takes practice to love and esteem others higher than us.
We learn how to do this through God the Son and having the mind of Christ. Philippians chapter two CEV version two starts out saying. “Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: Christ was truly God.
Some people are easy to love, and some can be a bit of a challenge.
Hear someone say, “Sister Theresa, some of these people in my life are so hard to deal with; others feel like they are entitled to all I have and me too sometimes.” That’s where the Holy Ghost comes in. John 16:13, or the one that I have clinched to for years, is Psalms 32:8: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”
Yes, some people are easy to love, some you need faith to loveš. There will be others that will push you to a level of almost hate, I said, almost, really pump the brakes if you get there. I have been there once with a colleague, but God the Holy Ghost walked me through it until I did not remember when that feeling left. But my mind and heart were clear. So, it is not based on what was done or who is at fault. We must practice love. The Bible says, “But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God if we don’t love the people we can see?” I John 4:20
Read I Corinthians 13 and use Valentine’s Day to Practice!
So, use this week’s holiday expressly designed to show affection and practice love. Get the candy and cards, send sweet texts and notes, and even say, “I’m sorry.” if you need to. Not the slippery “I’m sorry”, that is the ones that passed by your heart and comes out of your mouth. Sincerely mean what you’re saying, the intended party will know when it’s genuine, and God will, too. Remember, Perfect practice makes perfect. š
Theresa Woodard
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.