More Than a Feeling
Love someone first without feeling like it, and afterwards it'll feel really good.
Some things just don’t always feel right, like expressing disappointment and concern to a fellow Christian being deceived by error, or disciplining a child, or doing something nice to someone who isn’t. But what is right isn’t determined by our twisted truth, selfish love, or wishy-washy feelings but by God’s genuine truth and love.
Stressing a proper definition for love, the Bible reminds us that love is a walking, moving about, active exercising of faith. Love isn’t a treadmill of feelings spinning around a person’s inner desires centered only on self. Love is a reaching, seeking, walking around action. Action that is determined by truth in the form of God’s commands. “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning his command is that you walk in love” (2 John 6).
Aha! Love toward others, therefore, has more to do with fact than feeling. What does that mean? Well, if you wait to love someone until that person makes you feel good, then you’re no follower of Jesus. Followers of Jesus love another person even when they don’t feel good about that person.
Jesus, after all, didn’t wait for good vibes to show love toward others. His feelings knocked him to his knees in painful fear in Gethsemane when he asked if there could be a less devastating way to save sinners, but Jesus loved his Father enough to say, “Your will be done.” His feelings had to be frustrating him with a painful headache dealing with his fair-weather disciples during a storm or two on the Sea of Galilee, but Jesus loved them enough to calm the storm on the sea and in their hearts. His feelings about you while he bled desperately for you on the cross (because he knew you’d spit in his face someday with disrespectful behavior) didn’t keep him from loving you enough that he gave up his own life as a ransom for you.
Jesus didn’t love others based on his feelings, and followers of Jesus, no matter how desperate our circumstances, don’t love others based on feelings either. We love others because Jesus loves us and because Jesus loves them. That’s the truth and nothing changes it. If you really need to include feelings in loving others, then love them first without feeling like it, and afterwards it’ll feel really good. But loving others doesn’t always feel good at the moment, especially when their actions aren’t in line with the truth.
The love Jesus has for you and proclaims in the truth of God’s Word will never change. Love Jesus more than anyone, and love his truth more than your own feelings. That will make your love toward others a very powerful Christian witness.
PRAYER: Feelings are powerful, God, and you have created them with good intentions. They are your gift, when used properly. Help me to be aware of my feelings, and to believe in your Word of truth so that I can love others better. Amen.