Loving Others - How It Works

                It’s pretty clear that God wants me to love him and others (Matthew 22:36-40). It’s also pretty clear that I’m not very good at it. I’ve written recently about what a challenge it is for me to love others. (I haven’t even touched on the subject of loving God yet, that’s just too overwhelming at the moment).

I can’t love others. Oh, I do often have affectionate feelings for people. And, I can do nice, even loving, things for others. But, really love? Love like the Bible says to love? Love the 1 Corinthians 13 way of loving? I can’t. Even thinking about it leaves me overwhelmed, frustrated and feeling hopeless.

(See http://heartmattersbms.blogspot.com/2015/03/let-love-be-genuine-romans-129.html)

                But the situation is not, in fact, hopeless. There is a solution. Embrace my inability to love, reach out to God, who can love others through me, and let him do so.

                (See  http://heartmattersbms.blogspot.com/2015/04/i-read-quote-recently-from.html)

It Sounds Simple. But…

                I can’t! He can! So, let him! It sounds so simple, so easy. But, what does that really mean, to let Him? Does it mean to just “Let go and let God?” And, what does that mean, really? Let go and Let God.

                Does that mean I somehow turn into a mindless robot who is manipulated and directed by God, like a kid pushing the buttons on a video game? Or, does it mean that we simply kick back and observe God do something, like sitting in a theater watching a play? How does that work?

                I don’t think letting God do through me the things I am unable to do myself means either of those things.

Moses’ Formula When Faced With Overcoming Obstacles

In Deuteronomy Moses addressed the first post-Exodus generation of Israel. These are the children of the adults who left Egypt. Their parents are all dead. These are the adults who will go into, capture and settle the Promised Land.

In preparing them for the task ahead Moses warns them that living in the land are “seven nations more numerous and mightier” that they are. These nations were not going to just hand over their land to Israel. This was a problem. God told them to go take the land. They couldn't do it. They weren't able. What could the Israelites do? How could they defeat these enemies that are bigger and stronger?

Moses says of these seven nations, these obstacles to Israel doing what God told them to them to do, “when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them…” (Deut. 7:1-2).

Whoa! That’s huge. Did you see what Moses said there?

When it comes to defeating these nations it’s not either/or. It’s not either God or the Israelites. It’s both/and. God is going to give the nations over – God is going to do for the Israelites what they cannot do for themselves – give over to defeat seven nations each one bigger and stronger than they. It is God who will do it.

But, the Israelites also have to fight, “when you defeat them.” The Israelites are going to have to go into combat and fight these nations to the death. But, because God is giving over the nations, Israel will win.

Israel can’t. God can. So, they let him.

They will do what seems impossible. They will succeed when they go into the fight by trusting in God for the outcome. And, that’s exactly the same way, and the only way, that I can love people.

On my own it’s overwhelming, frustrating and hopeless. it's impossible. I can’t. Just trying harder doesn’t work. That will always fail. I can only love people by trusting God to do in me and through me what I cannot do myself. But God doesn’t do it while I just let go and watch. He does it while I am actively loving them.

The New Birth Empowers Love

   In his first epistle John wrote that loving others is a sign that we have passed from death to life (1 John 3:14). In other words, it is when we are born again that God joins with our hearts and wills to enable and equip us to love others.

John Piper wrote, “The birth of the new living, loving heart is the act of the Holy Spirit connecting our dead, selfish hearts with God’s so that his life becomes our life and his love becomes our love.”

That’s when I love others, when I connect to the realty of my new life in Christ and the Spirit dwelling within me begins to change my heart and my will to do what I could never do on my own.

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