Now I Can Love

Love is a funny thing. As a kid I expected my parents to love me unconditionally. They tried their best but I didn't always understand this especially when I wanted something from them and they couldn't or wouldn't  give it to me. Sometimes I  even wished I was born in a different home.

As I grew older, I didn't stop wanting to be loved. I just wanted it expressed differently instead of with things bought with money. I realised how complex love can be. Isn't it funny how each of us defines this concept for ourselves? We decide on what actions and behaviour we will exihibit in order to express our love for others. And then we create rules for others,  rules which they need to be careful not to break if they claim to love us.

A lot of times the people we love break the love rules we made, whether intentionally or accidentally. Sometimes our expectations do not meet with what they are willing to give to us in the name of love. Yes, it's an excellent recipe for heartbreak isn't it? Some "love experts" say each of us needs to love ourselves first before we can even begin to love others.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if perfect unconditional love existed? The good news is it does! God's love for us is perfect and one just needs to look at the cross to begin to grasp this. As I learn more about this love, I love myself more. I value myself more, I appreciate my strengths and I work on my weaknesses. I am learning to be patient, kind and forgiving to myself. Knowing how loved I am makes it is easier for me to genuinely love and care about others.

God loves me => I love myself => I can love others

The following are my favourite bible verses on love..
Mark 12: 31
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
What do you think about perfect love? Is it possible? Have you experienced unconditional love?

Is Your Repentance Inspired by Grace

I grew up hearing the phrase repent to get your sins forgiven. Preachers fired the word repent repeatedly  from the pulpits, denting my conscience,  making me and I suspect others feel guilty of their weaknesses.

This is what I then understood this word meant. To me it meant stop breaking the ten commandments and other laws which are so important to God. The new testament teachings made it even harder to keep these laws because according to it anger equaled murder and any lustful thought in my mind was equal to adultery. I understood that if I was not perfect by the time Jesus came I would not be going to heaven.Of course I failed to keep these laws like we still do today. After repeated failure I just gave up feeling incapable and useless thinking God's salvation is not for me.

Learning about God's grace has changed my perception on repentance. I have learnt that repentance under grace means a complete change of mindset which comes from knowing God still loves you if you fail. He wants you to get up and try again. He wants you to know that the power of His Holy Spirit is behind to help you find the tools and resources and the support which you need to create this new attitude. This new attitude is going to stop you from falling often, help you pick yourself up if you did and try again knowing your sins have been forgiven. The most wonderful thing about this attitude is knowing that my salvation will not be lost as long as I keep believing in the power of Jesus blood to cleanse sins and give eternal life. Repentance to me is also removing my focus from my works and focusing on God's love which perfect my works.

Does this idea of repentance gives me the license to sin? No, on the contrary it inspires me to change certain attitudes which may be inherent to my human nature or learned from an imperfect childhood. These attitudes for me are things like fear, feeling unloved and strong biological urges to survive.  I now know that my sins are merely a product of these attitudes. Faith in God's love has taken care of my fear and my desire for perfect love. Knowing that God has created us humans different to the animals in the sense he has given us a strong sense of conscience helps me embrace my biological urge to survive and yet not letting it destroy my humanity. Armed with this knowledge of his love I  am now less inclined to fall and more inclined to love Him and all of His creation.

Or despise you the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Romans 2:4

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

Philipians 1:6

 

Read more about grace inspired repentance here.

http://gospeltranslations.org/wiki/Biblical_Repentance/The_Meaning_of_Repentance

http://graceandsanity.org/programs.htm

 

What does Repentance mean for you? Is your repentance inspired by God's grace and His love?