Impossible Love

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
Colossians 1:9-12 NKJV

Sometimes, life is hard. That's not surprising news to any of you who may be reading this. It's in the day-to-day doing of it that we are provided with ample opportunities to love as Christ loved us and gave Himself. Sometimes, we get tired of doing. Sometimes, we get tired of giving. Sometimes, we get tired of loving. What do we do then?

We go to our Source of life's blood and get more so that we can continue to do and to give and to love. Why? Because He has called us to love as He loved and He gave Himself for us. And just so we're clear, it's PEOPLE He called us to love, not inanimate things. It's easy to "love" things - they don't have mood swings, bad attitudes and they don't demand our time when we don't feel like it. Don't be confused - that's not love.

Paul prayed that we might be filled with the knowledge of God's will - wisdom, understanding (there's that word again). The commandment we are given is to love one another. That's hard. Sometimes, it's seemingly impossible, but... but for Christ. 

I've heard people remark, "Oh, yeah, it was easy for Him - God was His Father - He's part of the Triune God - He IS love."  I hear you, but do you hear God? I'll tell you, it wouldn't have been MY first choice to leave Heaven in all its glory where I walked in all authority to come to Earth as mere man, to be crucified for an ungrateful lot who - even after the sacrifice - would not recognize what had been done for them. His love prevailed. And that's the point. HIS strong love. HIS power to love.

Paul prayed it - that we would be strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy... Strengthened with ALL might - by HIS power...patient and longsuffering...with joy. Yes, it's hard, but it's not impossible. 

Christ said it Himself as recorded in Matthew 19, ...with God all things are possible.

Prayer:

Father,
         We pray as Champ Traylor once prayed, 'Cleanse us of everything that would sap our strength for togetherness...Let us be Your alleluia in a joyless, fragmented world'. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen