Adding Love to Your Bag
"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." - Matthew 5:44
Yesterday, we talked about “adding to your spiritual bag”—the idea that we should always be growing spiritually, expanding our hearts, and developing attributes that don’t come naturally to us. If you missed it, the message was simple: God doesn’t want us to stay where we are; He wants us to keep growing and adding new spiritual qualities to our lives.
Today, we’re starting with the first fruit of the Spirit: love. It’s easy to say that we love others, but do we really love the way Jesus instructed us to? Loving those who love us back is simple, it doesn’t take much effort. But what about loving those who don’t love us? What about the people who are hard to love, the ones who have wronged us or seem impossible to get along with?
Jesus calls us to a higher standard of love. He tells us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. This kind of love doesn’t come naturally. It’s a love that requires us to set aside our pride, our hurt, and our desires for revenge. It’s a love that mirrors the love Jesus showed when He forgave those who crucified Him.
Is love the next thing you need to add to your spiritual bag? Are you loving others the way Jesus commands? If not, it’s time to start working on it. Ask God to help you see others through His eyes, to soften your heart toward those who are difficult to love, and to fill you with a love that goes beyond what’s easy or convenient.
Adding this kind of love to your bag isn’t just about improving your relationships; it’s about becoming more like Christ. And when you do, you’ll find that love has the power to transform not just your own heart, but the hearts of those around you as well.
Yesterday, we talked about “adding to your spiritual bag”—the idea that we should always be growing spiritually, expanding our hearts, and developing attributes that don’t come naturally to us. If you missed it, the message was simple: God doesn’t want us to stay where we are; He wants us to keep growing and adding new spiritual qualities to our lives.
Today, we’re starting with the first fruit of the Spirit: love. It’s easy to say that we love others, but do we really love the way Jesus instructed us to? Loving those who love us back is simple, it doesn’t take much effort. But what about loving those who don’t love us? What about the people who are hard to love, the ones who have wronged us or seem impossible to get along with?
Jesus calls us to a higher standard of love. He tells us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. This kind of love doesn’t come naturally. It’s a love that requires us to set aside our pride, our hurt, and our desires for revenge. It’s a love that mirrors the love Jesus showed when He forgave those who crucified Him.
Is love the next thing you need to add to your spiritual bag? Are you loving others the way Jesus commands? If not, it’s time to start working on it. Ask God to help you see others through His eyes, to soften your heart toward those who are difficult to love, and to fill you with a love that goes beyond what’s easy or convenient.
Adding this kind of love to your bag isn’t just about improving your relationships; it’s about becoming more like Christ. And when you do, you’ll find that love has the power to transform not just your own heart, but the hearts of those around you as well.
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You know what’s interesting, a few days ago I felt the Lord prompted me to bless someone who I had forgiven. I said, do I have to? I have forgiven him already. He caused me much pain, do I have to bless him. Without much further hesitation I obeyed. I pronounced a blessing over the man. My heart opened up and I felt the joy of the lord. Perhaps I had not fully forgiven him. It was amazing to see how the Lord is teaching us today. To bless someone is and act of love, and love keeps not record of their wrongs, therefore because of love we have forgiven.