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<i>
<ul>
"I just don't love him anymore."
<p>
"The spark is gone, our relationship is boring, I just don't think I can love
her anymore."
<p>
"Those folks have treated me so unfairly. I just don't want to have anything
to do with them anymore. I know I can't hate them, but I don't think I can't
love them either!"
<p>
Love. We've all heard the definitions of the four loves. We've all been
told we had to love. Nearly every wedding has some part of 1 Corinthians 13
read:
<blockquote>"Love is patient, love is kind, it does not boast…It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
</blockquote>
<p>
But only God can do "always" and "never!" I can want to be that way, even
commit to be that way, but only God is always love and never unloving. So
what are we to do? How do we even approach the standard of love we are
called to exhibit?
</blockquote>
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<img src="/graphics/feature_021497_power_hr.gif" height=12 width=160 alt="--------">
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<p>
Recently I took my daughter and her teammates to a basketball game. The
girls decided they "had to have" cotton candy! As they ate these huge wisps
of spun sugar, I remembered the story of a tiny little girl:
<blockquote>
<i>
<p>
"Sweetheart, how does a little bitty girl like you eat such a huge amount of
cotton candy?"
<p>
The little girl thought for a minute, smiled, and answered confidently: "I
just guess I'm bigger no the inside than on the outside."
</i>
</ul>
<p>
On the outside, from the very human view of things, we cannot and will not
approximate the love we are called to give Christians. We're going to have
to be bigger on the inside than on the outside. But how do we do that?
<p>
Our answer is found in the power of the Holy Spirit. The most obvious
demonstration of the Spirit's presence is a lifestyle of love (Galatians
5:22). We must learn not to interfere with his work at producing love in us
(Ephesians 4:29-5:2). We must open ourselves to his power to make love
blossom in our hearts and our habits (Romans 15:30). The Bible gives us
several practical ways to enable his power to love in ways beyond our own
power (Romans 8:1-4).
<p>
Our first step is to focus our hearts on God's redemptive love in Jesus
(Philippians 2:5-11).
<p>
We are taught to love by God (1 Thessalonians 4:9). We are taught what love
is by God (1 John 3:16; 4:9-10). As we focus on God's example of love in
Jesus, the Holy Spirit is at work to transform us to be like him (2
Corinthians 3:18). As we focus on Jesus' example of love and read the
Gospels about his loving care for others, we are changed by the Spirit to be
more loving.
<p>
The Spirit also releases his enabling to power to love in our lives when we
do loving deeds of kindness to others. Like the Nike slogan says: "Just do
it!" (cf. 1 John 3:18)
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<p>
The Bible does not simply say God loves us. Instead, the inspired writers
include an example of God's love when they speak of his love for us (John
3:16; 1 John 4:9-10). Jesus' love and compassion always led him to action.
From God's point of view, love is something you do, not just something you
feel.
<p>
We are to do loving things whether others deserve it, we feel like offering
it, or if we have the will or want to do it. By acting lovingly first, we're
demonstrating our faith that God will supply the power necessary to love as
he loves. We are then filled with the Spirit when we submit our will and
serve others lovingly (Ephesians 5:17-21 - notice that Paul says we are to be
filled with the Spirit and lists five ways to do this: speaking to one
another, singing, making music in our hearts to God, giving thanks, and
submitting to one another). In plain old cornbread English, when we do
loving things to honor Christ, the Spirit gives us the power to do what we
cannot do.
<p>
Prayer also releases the power of the Spirit to enable us to love. We are
strengthened with God's power (Ephesians 3:14-19) to be loving to each other
(1 Thessalonians 3:11-13).
<p>
God continually pours out the Holy Spirit into our lives (1 Thessalonians
4:8). The Spirit is like an inexhaustible, ever flowing stream of God's
power (John 7:37-39). The Spirit then becomes the source of God's endless
supply of love (Romans 5:5). While that supply of love is always with us, we
tap his power through prayer. Incredibly, the Father of "always and never
love" shares that love with us.
<p>
Finally, the Holy Spirit enables us to love by moving us and convicting us to
respond in love to others needs (Romans 15:30).
<p>
To live and be led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18) means our lives are
shaped by the character the Spirit produces (Galatians 5:22-26). The
cardinal virtue of the Spirit's presence is love and the Spirit's fruit is
displayed in loving actions toward others (Galatians 5:22). When we find
ourselves moved at the physical needs of another (Acts 11:27-30) or the need
of the lost for salvation (Acts 13:1-4), we must recognize this as the work of
the Spirit and respond (Romans 15:30). The Holy Spirit longs to empower our
love to meet the needs of the lost and broken in the name of Jesus!
<p>
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<img src="/graphics/feature_021497_power_hr.gif" height=12 width=160 alt="--------">
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<p>
The Holy Spirit is the power of love. This is not a passing, whimsical,
emotional love. Instead, it is the power of God's "always and never love."
Let's release it by:
<UL>
<LI>Focusing on God's redemptive love demonstrated in Jesus
<LI>Acting decisively and lovingly to others to honor God trusting him to empower
us to do what we cannot or do not feel like doing
<LI>Praying for God to release his love through the Spirit in our lives, our
families and our churches.
<LI>Responding with loving action when we are prompted, convicted, and led by the
Spirit to help others.
</UL>
<p>
The Holy Spirit dwelling in us, enables us to be "bigger on the inside" so we
can serve in ways bigger than we are capable on the outside. That's the
power of God's love at work in us. Let's share it today.
<pre> </pre>
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