Radical Love = Risk

Today I had the awesome opportunity to be a vendor at a tiny craft fair that a market hosts here every Saturday with small businesses, craft vendors, and an open mic! I had no service where I was (One of my favorite things about Gustavus) so I occupied myself by sketching the people around me. A young boy (who was in Gustavus on vacation with his family) got the guts to go up and play guitar at the open mic and I drew the scene and felt the Lord prompt me to give him the drawing. I did NOT want to do that. BUT I did it anyway, handing him the drawing and thanking him for playing. He accepted it and I walked off thinking that was the end of it, but he walked up to my table and said "You know, it is my birthday today and this is my favorite gift." I was shocked, and also unsurprised that the Lord knew this boy and He knew his birthday. God loves this boy radically, and he allowed me to be a part of showing him love. The whole market sang him happy birthday, and I could tell that he left feeling special. If I would've ignored the Lord's prompting, I would've never known it was his birthday, we wouldn't have sung, and he would've left without feeling loved.

Jesus loved others radically. He loved so much he wept when He knew he would see Lazarus again in just a moment (John 11). He loved so much that He took the time to pour into little children (Matt. 19). He loved so much that He was nailed to a cross to die in order to be with us (Matt. 27). He calls us to love like that. RADICALLY love. It is written in John 13:34: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." It isn't an easy job, except it is. The only reason it is so hard is because we have to put ourselves aside in order to do it. To love someone else regardless of what you GAIN or LOSE is real love. It is a scary thing sometimes, but I have never regretted loving someone with God's love.

Upon reading this, I turned to the Bible to grab a certain story that I could show you, prove to you, that God loves radically, and realized that everything about God proves that. The story of Joseph may seem like it was 90% suffering and 10% blessing but the entire story is God's radical love for Joseph. God radically loved Noah even when he was a grumbling mess after Ninevah was spared (Another example of God's radical love). Jesus stepped up for the adulterous woman, healed the blind, sick, demon-possessed, crippled, the DEAD. What about God does not show radical love? God is love. 1st John 4:8 says "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

This opens up a whole new level to this topic... if we claim to love God then we are called to love others. Jesus says in John 13:35 "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” Being love to others is an integral, dare I say required, part of following God. So how do we do it? Here is what the Bible says:

Galatians 5:13: You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Luke 6:31: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Romans 12:10: Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

John 15: 12-13: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Now I hate to break it, but all these verses have a common thread... loving others is not about US. To love someone else is to look away from ME and focus on THEM. All of the feelings that may arise to convince us NOT to love others are all rooted in selfishness.

Being afraid of loving someone is being selfish.

Being upset that you lose something in loving someone else is selfish.

Loving someone else to gain something is selfish.

We are selfish beings. In the famous 'love passage' of Corinthians 13 it says in verse 5 that love is not self seeking. Thus, true, pure, Godly love cannot be found in our selfishness.

I don't think it will be a shock to hear that we are all incredibly flawed and deeply affected by sin. We cannot pull true, pure, Godly love from inside ourselves, we must pull it from God himself. In 1 John 14:16 it says: "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." We must rely on the love God has for us, internalize it, and pour it out on others. In order to truly love others, we must understand and experience God's love. How do we do that?

1) Spend time with the Lord.

Read His word, pray, worship, be still with Him. Ask Him for understanding, read about His love in the word, praise Him for his love. We cannot, and will not, understand God's love for us if we don't spend time with Him.

2) Internalize what you learn.

In spending time with the Lord, patterns of belief that are untrue will become clear to you. I have, for many years, had a skewed view of what loving others and having them love me meant. In spending time in the word and in prayer, it has become clear to me what Godly love is and isn't. We must take what God teaches us, internalize, and break the chains of lies we have been living in.

3) Put it into practice.

Everytime I am pushed to love someone radically, I leave with more knowledge of who God is, and how he loves. I also leave with the knowledge of how it feels to love someone with God's love, and it's wonderful. It is joy. It teaches me about the goodness of God, His love for me, His love for you. Best of all it reminds me: This is how we are called to live.

I wish I did this perfectly, but I will openly admit I don't. The calling to love people radically, especially those who are hard to love, can feel like a burden. But it isn't, it is a gift from God. So here is to pursuing God's love, and allowing it to flow in us and through us onto others. I will be praying that I will be diligent in pursuing this calling, and I hope you join me.

As always... I have a song that reminds me of this topic. Specifically: "Stir in me a love that deep, a love that's wide, a love that's sweet, and help me Lord to never keep it to myself." Here is the Link: "No Fear in Love" Steffany Gretzinger - YouTube

Phil 1:3-6

Megan