For years, now, I have had this burning question in my mind: What does it really mean to love others the way Christ has loved me? To love others in this fantastically grand way is, of course, the central idea of our Christian faith. But here’s the rub: I have, more than most, major impediments to loving others. I am, in a sense, loving impaired. If you were driving behind my pink Cadillac on “The Freeway of Love,” as Aretha Franklin describes it, you’d see a handicapped symbol on my license plate.
Constitutionally, I’m an introvert. Make that “Introvert” with a capital “I”. If I were arrested, tried and convicted for some crime I committed and then sentenced to years in solitary confinement, I would jump for joy.
“Finally, some time to think!” I’d think.
Conclusion #1: It’s hard to love people the way Christ loves us when you would rather be alone.
And then there’s that thing lurking inside of me that the Bible calls my sinful nature. “We have been saved from the penalty of sin,” a preacher once said in a sermon that I’ve never forgotten. “We are being saved from the power of sin,” he continued, “and we will be saved from the presence of sin.” Which makes my still very present sinful nature and my new nature in Christ strange bedfellows. And that means that all too often I give in to selfish and self centered habits.
I didn’t realize how selfish and self centered I was until I got married. Yes, which way the TP roll rolled WAS an issue in our marriage. And it took me years to learn the importance of helping out in the kitchen.
But some of my differences with people I’ve known have been far more serious. And sadly, I wince when I think of the gaping holes I’ve left in some of their souls.
Conclusioin #2: It’s hard to love people the way Christ loves us when you still have a sinful nature.
On top of all that, there’s American culture. You don’t have to be a biblical scholar to realize that what the Bible says about love and what our culture says about love are two very different things. And unlike many Christians, our secular culture tends to practice what it believes about love. It’s hedonistic, materialistic, sexually oriented view of love plays out every day right before our eyes.
Conclusion #3: It’s hard to love people the way Christ loves us when you’re constantly brainwashed into thinking about love in a godless way.
And finally, there’s the problem of people. Have you noticed that there are some very unlovely people out there? I have. And my Bible tells me that I’m supposed to love them the way Christ has loved me.
I don’t know about you, but the biggest problem I have with some people is body odor. This is especially difficult for me in poor neighborhoods. I can’t get it out of my mind when I’m around someone with BO.
Conclusion #4: It’s hard to love people the way Christ loves us when some people repel you.
I once invited a wise professor that I had for a course in seminary to come speak in my first church. It was a poor, small church and I was struggling with all kinds of problems.
After the service, I took the professor out to lunch and dumped on him. When I finally finished, he looked at me and said something I’ve never forgotten: “Nobody said it would be easy, Herb.”
And that’s the word I have for you: When it comes to loving others the way Christ has loved us, nobody said it would be easy. As for myself, I want to love others the way Christ loves me if it kills me.
Share with us what the main obstacles in your life are to loving others the way Christ has loved you.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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6 thoughts on “I Want to Love Others the Way Christ has Loved Me”
I loved your professor’s comment Herb. I wish I would have heard it and really “got it” years ago.
That’s right, Vicki. I’m so glad I was so forcefully reminded of this early on. As the hymn goes, “Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease while others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas?”
Thanks Herb. I am sorry to admit that I am right there with you – I would rather be alone than with others – and that is a major problem when you are called to lead a men’s ministry organization. I struggle daily with surrendering my life out of my comfort zone and into the mess of daily ministry life, surrendering one day at a time, over and over and over again. My pride and self directed focus is what Satan uses to lead me back to my old sinful ways, separating me from God and the work he has called me to do. But our God is so great that even as sinners he saved us to be called His children for eternity. Thank you so much for sharing and helping me in my daily walk.
Thank you, David. From one introvert to another, I think the reason God calls our types into ministry is because loving people really is our weakness. And if God can love people through us, then He can love people through anyone.
Hi Herb. Thanks! Some very wise thoughts. Loving everybody is not an easy feat! I’ll share this with my young men in our church.
That’s great, Eddie. Feel free to share anything I write with your young men!