I’m no expert on love, and I’m always learning something about love maybe as much as the next person. But one thing I do recognise when it concerns love is that it really comes from inside, and when we release it, it truly becomes a gift to ourselves as well as to others because God gave it to us to give.
If anything has taught me that we are all children of God, it will be from the family Heavenly Father placed me in. Looking at my great great grandparents together, and how different they look from each other, culturally, shows me how God apparently sees his children as one. No matter our differences in color, the amount of money we have or not, the level of education, religion, and or circumstances. We are all His children and I believe He wants to bring his children together because we are all one family under Him.
When I think of unconditional love, I can only think of three people who possess it, and they are Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father, and the Holy Ghost. My understanding is that unconditional love is something we don’t automatically get in life by just being ourselves, or saying I love you to someone, or even by the service only we render to others, and or even by being a good person. Instead, I believe it’s work obtained by diligently seeking it from the source our Savior Jesus Christ. With this in mind, there is something about praying and asking the Lord, “Lord give me the love I need for others, or help me understand the love you have for your children so I can be loving.” Also, when asking for God’s love, to me it’s an acknowledgment that He is the one who which all things come from and than it takes the focus off ourselves. The power of seeking God’s love is love we can obtain, and that He freely gives when we do. The way Christ taught in scriptures about unconditional love to me is like a sword, even a two edged sword. Swift and gentle, that can cut, but can also save. Bitter and sweet. I feel the Lord knows what we need and just like a parent does, boundaries are given to keep us safe, of which encompasses all that unconditional love is. God bless.
The fear of god is the beginning of wisdom (Psalms. 111.10), and to fear man is living without the the spirit (Numers 14.9). Ouch!! Conclusively, the reason for the latter is because the spirit of fear does not come from God, but instead it stems from the devil (2 Timothy 1. 7). Although, no one is perfect at this, we can humbly take steps on learning if we haven’t learnt yet to be a little godfearing each day by continually doing the things we know will build our spiritual progression a notch further. The Lord gives His full permission to be a godfearing people, so why not?
Standing up for truth is about always being reminded how much truth there is in living by it. It takes a lot of courage to stand out in any crowd, but especially a religious one. The lesson I learn is that to stand up is to continue asking the Lord for his strength through prayer. Maybe this is why many hesitate, but whatever reason one withdraws from doing so, the Lord does not agree. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light (Luke 11:33). We must remember that to stand out is not to be perfect. The Lord does not call those who are perfect, because there are none who are, but he calls on the weak, that He might make weak things strong” (Ether 12:37). Christ said, ” I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8.12).
Undoubtedly, the Lord made it possible for us to avoid repeated mistakes we inevitably make each day. I’m optimistic that knowing our own reasons for our mistakes can help us overcome them. However, here are a few obvious reasons and answers spoken frequently by christian leaders around the world, and in my own church that are good to take note of.
One, not having the FEAR the Lord. Fearing the lord is remembering He wiped out all the wicked children in the days of Noah, because they did not love or seek after Him and His many blessings. Instead, they only loved the things of the world and themselves, fully trusting in their own flesh. There are many great examples like this in the scriptures that can continue to help us understand what it means to have the FEAR of the Lord.
Two, not LISTENING to the Lord. There’s a popular saying we have today, “Talk to the hand” that coincides with not listening to the lord. A proud Hananiah took it upon himself to be a prophet of God without God’s consent and spoke to the people only what they liked to hear (Jeremiah 28). Although Hananiah later died because of this, we can learn many things from his story. We could assume that the pride he developed was so strong that any stirrings of the spirit were detained in his heart and mind. We may think only someone like Hananiah would be so brazen to do this, but I’m sure we can all relate when we see that it often starts from pushing the stirrings of the spirit away first, which than is followed by our own understanding of things and so on. Again, there are many stories in the scriptures that teach us how to be better listeners of the Lord.
Three, not having REVERENCE for the Lord. Maybe to help one learn what reverence means is to define irreverence. Defining irreverence may mean taking the lord lightly in our speech, actions, and thoughts. It could also mean pre-occupying ourselves with other things rather than taking time to be with the lord or know him. The son’s of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu must’ve being goofing around the holy tabernacle and thought it funny to offer unauthorized fire to the lord as the lord returned these favors to their fiery death (Lev 10.1). We can learn that spending more time with the lord will help us know his ways, most of all know Christ. We can also come to know that our relationship with Christ is more important than ourselves, and anything that the world can offer.
Noting these few points, helps me know the forward thinking of the Lord, and that he understands his children inside out. Also, that he makes all things a possibility for us to move forward in our spiritual progression.
Although impossible for humanity to love perfectly, Heavenly Father showed us how to love when He sent His Son Jesus Christ (John 3.16) and made it His great commandment to follow His example (1 Kings 8.61). To love is to first believe in Jesus Christ because it’s only through Him we can receive His perfect love. I believe the scriptures help to understand many ways to love others, one being to refuse to take part in the sins of others, and secondly to condemn them from our own lives rather than the lives of others unless we are one given authority to do so. This helps us focus on our own repentance process, in which it shows Heavenly Father we are not taking our sins lightly, and which then reflects Christ like example of love to others. We also love others by being faithful, and showing forgiveness that is available through Jesus Christ. Even though difficult to do, I think a true act of love is treating others with respect and kindness even though they might know we don’t approve their lifestyle and or choices. But, I also believe it is not loving to allow someone to remain stuck, and with careful guidance of the holy spirit, we might be able to encourage one how to unstuck themselves in ways also provided by Jesus Christ. It is not hateful to tell a person he or she is in trouble in matters that involve us, if we can carefully avoid discouraging them from moving forward. In other words, we love the others by speaking the truth in loving ways. We hate the sin of others by refusing to condone it, or take part in it. It’s pertinent that we always pray about any situation we are found in concerning these issues, and if we make mistakes along the way which is inevitable, we can take the advice from Jesus, repent and continue to learn to love others as Jesus loves us. God bless.
It is not what he says alone, nor alone what he does. It is what he is.
(2 Nephi 13.9)
The power of forgiveness is turning a disadvantage into an advantage.”
Love is real. Wow, intense. I would just add, that the only one who has perfectly exemplified how to love and be loved is Jesus Christ of course. I’m learning its our privilege to learn from His example, and how lucky we are, to have this lifetime to work on it.
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