If you love Me, keep my commandments. John 14:15
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If you love me you’ll read this blog.
Oops! I crossed a line there; sorry about that.
Only God has the right to say to someone, “If you love me you will do what I want you to do.” This is true because only God has perfect motives and only God is able to make demands that perfectly align themselves with his will and our well-being.
If you use love as the lever to get your way then you can be certain you are being heavy-handed and self-centered. Love cannot be forced, it is a gift and until someone is ready to give that gift your efforts to force the issue will always come up short.
I am reminded of the old proverb that said: “God loved birds and thus created trees; man loved birds and created cages.” That is what happens when we have expectations of people because they are supposed to love us.
Remember, no one but God loves perfectly. Often the people that love you the most will disappoint you the most. But the one thing you can do is do your best to love unconditionally. And when you do, you have the assurance that that is the best thing you can do.
- The ONE THING for today: Beware the temptation of using love as a prod to get people to do what you want them to do. Instead, use love as a prod to get you to do what you should do.
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Romans 12:9 (NIV) Love must be sincere.
The ONE THING 