Faith Not Force.

 Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

Mat_5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you

Rom_13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

1Jn_4:7  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

I love you. When I say those words, what do I mean by them? I can say I love you to my husband and in the next breath say I love you to my sister, is the love the same? I can love a friend and love a child, is the love the same? I can love a stranger, and love my parents, is the love the same? Over and over again the answer is unquestionably-- no, right? Yet there has to be a common ground for the word love, a commonality something all those loves share. 

All those loves come from a place of truth. I'm not lying when I tell a stranger I love them, that love I'm loving them with is the love of their being a part of the family of humanity, the brotherhood, the sisterhood, the humanhood.  

Can you love someone and not like things they do? Yes.

Can any of these people I love force me to stop loving them? No. You can't force someone to stop loving. They can choose not to love you, but they can't force you not to love them. You've heard of unrequited love, a one-side love that isn't reciprocated, you may have even been in love that way once or twice yourself. Could that person you love stop the love you were feeling for them? No. Did they want to? Most likely, yes. It's not easy having someone love you when you feel no love in return for them. 

You can't force someone to stop loving you, and you can't force someone to love you. 

Love is a choice.

When love is offered there is an element of faith involved, there has to be. You are believing in something you can't see, but the evidence can be noted. Then again, that can be a tricky thing, the evidence of love. 

If two people have different ideas of what constitutes love, they might not witness the love appropriately. Have you ever heard the words- If you loved me you would do this or that? That's based on that person's beliefs of what love means. All the while that person could love the other, but just not share that particular belief.  The other person could turn right around and say, if you loved me you wouldn't base my loving you on that belief. It could end up being a very vicious cycle.  In the end, it's choosing to accept each other's beliefs of what constitutes loving each other, choosing to love in spite of the disappointments.  Or not. A lot of people end up apart because they choose not to accept that the other person can love them without sharing their beliefs of what love is.

Faith. Believing. The Bible says, Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  In love we are hoping for a bond that goes far beyond anything that would or could break the love, and it's a constant hope, a never ending hope because honestly- everyone knows the years of togetherness does not mean forever- the hope has to remain, that substance of things hoped for has to remain. Love is not seen a lot of the time, the worst of the worst is laid bare, yet the evidences of love you have seen is what you hold on to. You hope, you have the belief in the love you share.  

I'm not just talking marital love, I'm talking in all our love relationships - family love, friend love, acquaintance love, stranger love. There is an element of faith- not that you'll be loved in return- but that the love you give goes beyond the boundaries of all that would keep us from being loving- even when we are not loved. Sure, it's nice to be loved in return and in marital love you definitely want that, and in familial love you want to be loved in return, but not in all those you love are you looking for others to return the love. 

Forced love. No, it's not a real thing. Even if you are forced to say the words, and to commit the actions someone tells you means you love them- does not make you truly love in return. 

Forced faith. No, it's not a real thing either on the same premise as love- you can be forced to say the words and commit actions, but that does not make you believe. 

The ones filled with hate will try to force love, and force faith all the while telling you they love you, they want what's best for you. Truly they have been blinded by the evil of this world- as they call evil good, and good evil. Forcing  love, forcing faith- thinking that it is okay to do so, is always wrong. 

We are all free to believe inwardly if not outwardly, and if called to take a stand outwardly and face persecution - at that time all the power you need to do so will be given you. Our Lord never forces faith, never forces love, His is a faith that never forces.

We choose to follow our beliefs, and we pray our beliefs are the beliefs of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, and our Heavenly Father, wholly aligned with the Holy Spirit. 

All through His love, His faith, His righteousness, now and forever! By His grace and mercy! May we love all, as He loved all, leaving all to Him.  Choose love, choose faith, choose God, choose Jesus, choose the Holy Spirit. Amen!