Love Much

Luk 7:47 -

Wherefore I say unto thee
Her sins
which are many
are forgiven
for she loved much
but to whom little is forgiven
the same loveth little

Remember this verse-

1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

The more we LOVE, genuinely love, the more we KNOW God.
The more we LOVE, genuinely love, the more our sins are forgiven us.

LOVE truly is the real answer.

I know we hear that formerly popular song- 'All you need is love, love is all you need.' And in truth it really is all we need because GOD is LOVE. So in essence we are saying all we need is God, God is all we need, and THIS is truth!

What gets in our way of being able to love? Our selfishness, our self-centeredness, our self-admiration.

Is there any wonder Jesus said this--

Mat 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

How many people out there believe they are more important than others? Aren't we being taught from a very young age that we have to put ourselves first because others will only walk all over us if we don't? How many people that you know ASPIRE to be servants to others?

Luk 9:48 ... he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

Servant- least among us- these are NOT things we are taught to desire. We are taught that the last one chosen, the least desired is the outcast, the worst of the worst. How many people are thrilled not to be that LAST person chosen when others are picking sides? We are taught NOT to want to be the least, the last, the servant, that these are the things we are to despise not desire.

When we are treated like servants we become appalled and disgruntled, even upset and angry, we want to lash out at those treating us like servants, we want to tell them to do it themselves whatever it is, we don't like to be unappreciated which is what we are taught servants are. Even then something inside us rebels at having to do for others what we believe they can do themselves, or should do themselves. We pride ourselves at being able to tell others we're not going to do whatever it is, that they should just do it themselves, we are not their slaves. Yet the truth of the matter is… the REAL HONEST truth is… it is a BLESSING on us to be able to serve- yes, to be able to serve even those who could in all reality very well do for themselves. Every time we serve we are given an opportunity to receive a blessing. I say given an opportunity because we can destroy that opportunity by not RECEIVING it, but rejecting it and letting a spirit of discord rise up in us wiping away any blessing.

I was raised to believe that there were things I had to do- chores and such, whether I liked it or not. I wasn't raised to believe I received a blessing in doing those sorts of things. I, very unfortunately did NOT raise my children to believe in the blessing of serving even in the most minor of things. I taught that they owe the family something- and had to contribute to the over all well being of a semi-well ordered household. They did things because they OWE a debt, they are being well cared for and in exchange for that they should pull their own weight. And now that they're older children I've switched from that to the- you ought to help out because you're an adult and legally you are capable of being out on your own- of having to take care of yourself. Because you're living here and not paying any rent/bills etc you ought to do the things you are told. Again, I haven't really stressed the blessing they can get from serving. Would it make a difference? Would it change the fact they still have to do things they'd rather not, that they have to pull themselves away from their own activities? No. It wouldn't change that.

In my own life as I try- all by the grace and mercy of God, through the Holy Spirit- to alter the awful way I begrudgingly do things that need doing, I hope to make this 'serving is a blessing' a reality. It won't be easy, because the other way is so engrained in me- in fact from my youth.

The least the greatest?
The servant the greatest?
The one who loves most- forgiven most?
The greater sinner who loves is forgiven more than a lesser sinner who loves less?

These are TRUTHS!
These are God's truths!

Love others as GOD would want us to love them.

If we LOVE much, we will be forgiven much and I don't know about you, but there is so much I need to be forgiven for, so much.

Please LORD help me to love!
Please LORD help me to obtain a blessing through serving.

All through YOU!