To love
“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.”- 1 John 3:16
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
I honestly don’t think love can be real if it does not sacrifice.
Sacrificial love is the only love that’s true.
All other forms are mislabeled. There is infatuation, there is lust, there is co-dependency, there is manipulation etc.
Of course none but One can love perfectly.
So all of those distortions of true love seep and crash into our relationships.
This doesn’t mean we don’t love others. It just means when it comes down to it we can have all of these perversions and distractions and be left without an ounce of love in our beings.
We can say we love, we can talk about it as a concept but in reality only have these dirty little constructs that destroy Instead of build up.
Eventually fire will come to prove our love true or false.
Can we face the fire of hurt, confusion, betrayal, lies, accusations, discomfort for another’s good? Can we withstand confrontation and rebuke with out running away?
Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t think it’s right to allow your self to be used and abused to the extent that you are no longer safe in your relationships. There is a time when one must back away from abusive and harmful relationships. .
What I am saying is sacrificing ones own comforts and needs for another is pivotal to loving another person.
Many of us can take all we can for our selves, but true love says we give all of our selves for another.
Sacrificial love also includes being honest and straight forward even when it’s inconvenient and uncomfortable. Many times people shy away from telling people the truth in love because they feel awkward or afraid of what the other person may think or how they may react. Sacrificial love is a bold love which challenges others to grow no matter the consequences.
Christ did not fear or let public opinion sway Him from speaking truth in love. He lost many followers due to His determination to Love no matter what the cost. And those who walked away from Christ were proven to not truly love Him. For they themselves could not sacrifice their own pre-conceived idea, traditions and pet ideologies in order to receive the truth Jesus spoke in love.
If we can sacrifice for another’s good whether big or small then we have love. If we can with stand another’s personal quirks, relational differences and personal confrontation from another we have love.
If you find your self backing out of every relationship when it gets uncomfortable then chances are you are not loving people but rather you are just using people for your own comfort and pleasure.
Jesus Christ is the only one who truly truly, completely lived love out perfectly every day. He lived it out. Love was a verb to Him everyday.
In other words He put it into action, never backing off, never shying away. He lived It everyday and finally in the greatest act of all He showed us what love truly is by SACRIFICING Himself on the cross.
He left this example for us to know what true love looks like, He led by example.
True love is sacrificial love.
