Loving the Unlovable:
 

I believe that the very essence of Christianity is found in loving God and loving others. That's what this is really all about. The rest is filler. No one is perfect. We're all flawed and have sins. We're all broken. All too often I've noticed that it's easy to judge a person when I think I'm better than they are. The truth is, I don't know what it's like to be them. I don't always know how they feel or what they've been through. Jesus met a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. Being a Samaritan she was a social outcast. She was also judged and rejected as being immoral. This is because she had been married 5 times and was currently living with a man who wasn't her husband. But Jesus treated her with love and respect. Jesus revealed to her that He knew her story. Then Jesus revealed to her who He was, in spite of the stigma she bore. We then read how she immediately went back to her community and told everyone about Him. Next, the entire community came to hear Jesus speak and many believed on Him. Who was their evanglist? A woman who had been divorced five times and was currently living with a man she wasn't married to.

Jesus looks past our sin, brokenness, and failures. He sees a person of infinite value in every one of us. Christians should look at people the same way.

Jesus went as far as healing the servant of a centurion. If most people understood the typical arrangement between a centurion and their younger servant in ancient times they'd better understand why the centurion deemed himself "unworthy" to have Jesus enter his house. Yet the centurion had faith that Jesus could but speak the word and his servant be healed. Jesus didn't stand yelling at him, "God hates gentile dogs!" Jesus didn't ignore him. No, Jesus commended the centurion for his great faith, spoke the word, and healed the servant. Jesus met the need in the life of a person we'd all most likely not think very highly of.

Sometimes the way we treat other people (and even fellow Christians who are struggling) is pathetic. I want to see and love everyone as being the priceless people they truly are. It's not always easy. However, I think that is what God desires to see in us.

God... give me your eyes.

http://www.youtube.com/​watch?v=P5AkNqLuVgY&ob=av2n

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

I so stink at this...

But I am trying.

Why you always gotta pass out the hard assignments Aquila?

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

Lol. Amen.
I might extent that to
"The minute...the second you find a problem with another person's _____, you are lost.
You lost it at "problem." Goes double if you are a preacher. I have Scripture for all this. You represent satan when you dictate the conditions under which one might be saved, and those misread Bible verses that you have added to are not going to save you.

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

One cannot judge this for themselves, obviously, as you are both pretty good in this area. Shades of re-repenting, Batman. Speak that you are great at it, even. Amen.

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

Aquilla, do you have a Godly love towards me, your sister in the Lord?

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

wait-you're a girl? and hmm, I usually agree with either of you?

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

I believe you have Scripture, but could you provide the Scripture reference when you mention it?

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

Aquila, the Lord showed me last year these very same things. It is one thing to say I love someone, but in the way I look at them, and judge them, do I really love them, through the Spirit of Christ is dwelling in me?

IF the Spirit of Christ is truly indwelling my heart, the love would come for that soul, through the Spirit, not my own attempts or abilities.

That is why, when I meet, or know someone unlovable, I have to go back to my prayer closet, and allow the Lord Jesus to transform my heart, so that I can love that person through Him. It can't be done any other way. We can humanly try to love each other, but it just brings despair. But when we see people through the eyes of Jesus, there is hope, and there is joy, and there is something greater than any human emotion can produce. It is life changing.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! You are SPOT ON :)

AMEN!

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

were not suppose to be able to do it. :thumbsup

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

Well, if you'll allow the observation that "preaching" in the US has evolved into "teaching the fear of hell," as I'm a little rushed right now, I'll go with "the splinter and the beam" thing. Wish I had a bit more time here, but consider how teaching "fear of hell," which might sound like it could be easily defended, is at the end of the day, just teaching "Fear," in Christ's Name.

If you are pointing any finger from the pulpit, at anyone, you cannot be demonstrating life, more abundantly at the same time. It just doesn't work like that. You are satan's best worker in that position, imo.

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

Amen again! Yet the common model has your preacher as the one pointing out these "inadequacies," and would suggest that you avoid those people as "unproductive" to your life?

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

I disagree. I am great at lighting up dimmed faces without being codependent, and I imagine, and even see that those of you who never had to deal with codependence are even better. Unless I am totally misunderstanding.

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

To truely love as Christ is beyond our natural ability, it comes by revelation and empowerment from above.

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

Ha you can be hip deep in it tomorrow,
and while what you say might remain true in a sense,
there is another that might more fully agree with
be perfect...
Turn toward where most turn away.

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

:foottap I have not been a girl for over 40 years.

I am a mature woman whose been through much of the stuff you described that you've been through. Will I qualify to be a sister in the Lord with you?

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

lol, sure--I shoulda realized anyway, duh.

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

Good. Even though I have to read some of your posts three or four times to understand what you are trying to convey...you make me smile a lot.

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

I really believe he wasn't talking about a specific group of people, not just our brothers. I believe he was talking to and about all here. We are to love everyone, from our best friend to our "worst enemy", of course we are to have no enemies. But the person we dislike the most, we can hate their sin, and hate that they are bound, but we are to love them. I had to come to terms with this, as I have had wrong done to me in my life. But praise God, I love those who did me wrong.

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

Huh? Can someone interpret this for me?

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

"There is a sense in which you are perfect, or at least can not become any more perfect on your knees, but in the field" is what I was trying to say.
Was I perfect in all my actions today--surely not. Did the lady with the baby, scared of her mate, who needed a safehouse, care if I was "apostolic" or not? Care if I had trimmed my hair or not? Care how long my dress was? Did she care that I had forgotten the number, had to look it up?

That already describes what she is running from. Conditional Salvation. Jesus didn't not go to the woman in the well because she had not met some condition; that was irrelevant to His walking many miles to see her. All (we) have to do is turn in that direction, as this woman is everywhere now.

Note all the conditions He placed on her; "Go (hmm, no "Stop"), and sin no more."

"Stop, for fear of hell." Does this describe the sermon you might hear on a typical church day? I'm mixing topics here, but "I'm not worthy yet, I need to re-repent some more first" comes from that, and I'm finding it reflected here. You surely are over-the-top perfect, if you are reading this, for what is needed right now--as evidence, I present the fact that you are here right now--and I certainly couldn't imagine three better people.

Now, one could go get ordained as a result of this, wherein they would surely then have conflicts that would prevent them even talking to this woman, like the leaders of the day (prolly a death sentence), or one can see that the only thing that = "not worthy" is "not going."

Re: Loving the Unlovable:
 

Ok, and when the first word from your baby is "yes" instead of "no," we'll have taken a big step. Exact same principle at work. The perfection we usually seek is not sought by God, imo.