The key component to understanding is having enough love to listen, sometimes without response.  There are so many people with good intentions, themselves having never been truly loved, such that when they are confronted with the opportunities of ministry they resort to instructing instead of loving.  It is not the intentions which need correction, for most really want to do the right thing.  Instead it is their definition of love that is remiss.  If we are to understand God through relationship then frequently the most important piece of wisdom He may convey to each of us is a clear concept of love.  Equipped with this Godly understanding and the Power of Love we may then heal the sick and wounded through Christ’s Love offering to love them the way that each of us wants to be loved.

Love, is probably one of the deepest, most complex ideas known to man.  Many will resolve to describing its facets in their original Greek or Latin explanations to segregate its diverse aspects.  However, we need not practice the secular science of breaking things down to their smallest common denominator in order to understand the big picture of Love.

God’s Love is this, that He remains devoted to those whom He Loves, regardless of their worthiness because of His overwhelming adoration for His creation.  He never leaves them, never ignores them and always provides safety, security and provision to those whom He Loves, even when they don’t love Him in return.  He remains ready for reconciliation and intimate relationship, hoping that each of us will reach out to Him, but lovingly giving each of us the time and space to make the voluntary pursuit.  He Loves us enough to save us from our own foolishness and self-destructive passions by providing a “way through” this life in restorative process of cleansing by accepting the punishment for “every” sin upon Himself, then paying the price of each sin by dying for us.  God loves me without recognition of or limitation based upon my performance or inadequacies.  We enjoy bandying the term, unconditional, however we have never truly offered this type of love while we complain that no one cares for us in that fashion.  Having met God and received His Love we are made aware of its benefits.  How then would we fail to learn and practice this type of love toward our fellow humans?

He did not say like your Brother the way that you wish to be liked.  He did not say be infatuated with your Sister the way that you would want to be infatuated.  He offered these two commandments in a particular order, I believe for a particular reason.  For once we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and spirit, then we understand how much He loved us at our “worst” moments and are willing/capable of loving ourselves without qualification or judgment.  Once we offer ourselves this condition free love then we are ready to offer it to others.  I cannot love someone in the way I wish to be loved without first having fully comprehended the definition and fulfillment associated with being loved in the way that I want to be loved.  I cannot speak a language that I don’t understand without the Holy Spirit’s intervention.  Without Him I have no hope, with Him I am never hopeless.

It is extremely difficult if not impossible to love thieves, killers, brigands, charlatans and adulterers, but we do.  It is near impossible to love our enemies, even as they sin against us, yet we must.  It is highly unlikely that we will ever love someone unconditionally when we continue to condemn ourselves for our own private failures and shortcomings, but we shall.  For just as we are transformed into new creation, reborn to God, we shall be given the Power to Love inherent to the Holy Spirit.  For He is God and thus loves each of us unconditionally, just as we are called to love others.  Next time you have the opportunity to minister, try loving the person in the way that you would want to be loved.  Love overcame everything in this world, His name is Jesus Christ.  He calls you to be His ambassadors to this world, so we must love them as He does, without requirement.  I pray that they choose salvation through Christ and that I will love them regardless of their decision, wealth, illness, foolishness or circumstance.  For that is how He has always loved me.