Perceived as Lovable

When Jesus was asked the "trick" question about which was the greatest commandment, he replied, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

Everything hangs on love.  The greatest commands we've been given hang on love.  All the laws, all the prophecies, how we are to live, how we serve, all the promises, all the blessings, our commitment to Christ, our daily interactions with people, our relationships with friends and family, our mission, our jobs, our ministry ... everything must have love at the center.

Unfortunately, in reality this may seem difficult even on our best days with people we like the most -- spending time doing the things we most enjoy.  But it doesn't change the truth that we are called to love. 


Love must be intentional.  Love for God and others must be pursued.  It must be nurtured.  I find myself unable to love the way I'm supposed to on my own.  But I've also discovered that this is to be expected. I'm learning that I must love with His love...love that is sincere and true. True love comes from God and my ability to love is measured by the purposeful attention I pay to receiving love from God.


We all want to be loved and most of us probably have moments when we can be pretty easy to love.  And yet, none of us are perfect. Although it's easier to love those who are "lovable", we don't get off the hook simply because we perceive someone to be less than that.  Praise God, Christ loved us and gave his life for us even though we were not perfect.  He has set the standard for us and how we should love. 


How good it is to know that Christ's love for us is not the kind of love that gets thrown around these days -- on one minute and off the next.  It is encouraging to know that His love is not determined by our charm or manipulation.  Neither is His love deterred by our appearance and behavior at its worst. My grateful heart is overwhelmed that Christ's love for us enabled him to perceive us as lovable.