Leading with Love

    So lately, the phrase I have been hearing in my spirit is that we should all be “leading with love”. Now what exactly does that mean? Well how I understand it is, that this means  love should be the way you start and finish everything. Since God is love (1 John 4:8b)  that basically means that His attributes and characteristics should be what takes precedence over everything else. In the New King James version, 1 Corinthians 16:14 it says,  “Let all that you do be done with love.” What kinds of characteristics does love exhibit? 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says this:  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (New International Version)

    I have truly felt God saying this in respect to how we exchange and interact with the world around us. Believers play a pivotal role in how the World sees Jesus. We are called to the ministry of reconciliation per 2 Corinthians 5:18. We are called to help reconcile men’s hearts back to the Father. The issue is that we cannot do that when we don’t lead with love. This is what Jeremiah heard in chapter 31 verse 3 from the Lord,” The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (KJV) We have all been drawn to the Father through love. This love is selfless, compassionate and sacrificial. We as believers have to exhibit this kind of love to the World. 

  As you read my very passionate post, know that I am not saying to live like the world. Just as Jesus lived so are we to be, in this world, but not of it. (John 17:16)  I will not tell you that love means ignoring the truth. I will not tell you that leading with love means you don’t speak up or out against sin. Never will I ever. Ephesians 4:15b says it clearly, “Speak the truth love.” It is our job to preach that the Lord is coming back, that sin is still sin, hell is still hot, but also that God loves the sinner and hates the sin. It is our job to let people know that God isn’t some mean man sitting in Heaven waiting to strike someone down because they made a mistake. Nor am I saying that we cosign sin. I AM saying not nitpick others to the point where they won't hear you. Plus if you're ministering to the lost, then you have to show them that God loves them in spite of what they do. He doesn't like the sin, but He still loves them. It is our job to remind people with our lives and actions, that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Yet the fact that we have fallen short, this is the reason for Jesus Christ. Remember everyone’s favorite childhood scripture? For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) 

    I find at times we can even run our own brothers and sisters in Christ away from us when we don’t lead with love. If we have an overly critical spirit, where all we can see is that someone else’s life is all jacked up, yet fail to acknowledge our own sinful nature (that we must bring under subjection) then we have a real problem. That problem is called pride and it isn’t to be taken lightly. Let me make another reference to bring this point in a little more. Matthew 7:3 in the Amplified Bible says this very well: "Why do you look at the [insignificant] speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice and acknowledge the [egregious] log that is in your own eye?" This bring me back to the point of reitierating the pride issue. Pride pushes men away from us and God. We should be representing God. 

    Believers, we need to do better about extending grace to one another. We are quick to treat one another with contempt. We need to do better about showing one another the same love that shows others who we are. 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply,(A) because love covers over a multitude of sins. (NIV) John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (KJV) These are 2 strong points that are missed at times. It befuddles me that the lack of our kindness in the church isn't a problem that we are addressing regularly. I've heard unbelieving people say that the snarkiest people they have ever met are professing Christians. That's a bad reputation for all of us. It is immensely discouraging because it could be avoided with some spiritual maturity. 

    Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what the goal posts are in our walk with God. The proof is in the fruit to show if we are maturing or not. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22‭-‬23 (NASB 2020) At the end of the day, this is a very dark world. Our leading with love shows that we are the light of the world and they are looking at us to show them the way to Jesus. Matthew 5:16 King James Version says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” When we lead with love we are showing that God is love and opening the door to win the hearts of many to Christ Jesus.  We can be fishers of men and have better relationships in our fellowship with other believers when we lead with love. So ask yourself today, “Am I leading with love?” If you aren’t please make the choice today to lead with God’s love. 

    Let’s pray together now: Father, God as we come to you in prayer, we thank you. You have been so good and so kind to us. You have lavished your love on us. You have made Your love available to us. Lord, we ask right now that you will examine our hearts. Lord, we want to lead with love. We want to show the World Your love. Lord, forgive us for the times we may have led with our emotions, our own thoughts or even our flesh. We pray You help us to always be reminded of what you want from us and for us. Lord, we pray that our light can shine brightly before men so that they can see our good works and glorify You. Thank you Lord, that as we pray you are giving us the ability to show and lead with love through the Holy Spirit. You are awesome; for that we give You praise. Amen. 


Scriptures: 1 John 4:8 (KJV), 1 Corinthians 16:14 (NKJV), 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV), 2 Corinthians 5:18 (KJV), Jeremiah 31:3 (KJV), John 17:16 (KJV), Ephesians 4:15 (NIV), Romans 3:23 (KJV), John 3:16 (KJV), Matthew 7:3(AMP), 1 Peter 4:8(NIV), John 13:35(KJV), Galatians 5:22 (NASB), Matthew 5:16 (KJV)

Follow Me:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/SOFaith2013

IG: https://www.instagram.com/sistersoffaith2013/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoVGIIqsp7R4nbIBvjaL6Ow

Email: sofpray2013@gmail.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's Time to Get Off the Fence

     Either you're for me or you're against me this is what Jesus said in Matthew 12:30. These are harsh words to some people, but it's a matter of loyalty to God. Are you going to go all in or keep one foot out because it's convenient? He also said if you're not gathering you're scattering. It's every believer's responsibility to draw others to Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:11)       It's relatively black and white. You're either pursuing a relationship with Christ or you're pulling back. Luke 9:62 says, “But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”(NASB)  It's so easy for people to say things like, "well there's more than one way to Heaven." Jesus said differently. He is the Way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)  Convenience tells us to be neutral. One problem: Jesus wasn't neutral. He was radical....
Read more

Sufferings

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." - Romans 8:18 I have to say that the scripture above never really had as deep a meaning as it has had in the last couple years, months, weeks, etc. of my life. Most people who know me personally or are following my blogs know my story to some extent. It's that I am: currently unemployed, living with my parents (again) after losing my job in Wichita, Ks. About 3 months before I lost my job, I suffered a seizure at the wheel and got into a horrendous car wreck; losing my driving privileges for 6 months and totaled out my vehicle (that I was still paying for without current insurance since I was recovering from the 2010 unemployment issue). Yeah, yeah, yeah...you all have heard my story. I have told it so many times I think I am even tired of hearing it. To say that I have had some challenges would be an understatement. To say that it has bee...
Read more

Patient with Me

     One of the best qualities that exists in God is His patience.  The very first phrase is 1 Corinthians 13:4 is, “Love is patient.” (NIV) When I think about true love, I have to align my expectations with the Only True and wise God- with Jesus. He is the purest form of love. (1 John 4:8b) I think the most transcendent characteristic of the Lord is that He is patient. Not only is He patient, but He suffers long with us.       What is long suffering? From what I understand, it is made up of 2 different words in Greek that are long and temper. That in essence means, God has restraint even when He is upset.  He is not quick to retaliate or punish because of His displeasure. How many of us can say that we are like this? Psalm 103:8 describes it like this, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”(ESV)      When we look at the World around us we see that no one is patient. No one is willin...
Read more