A favorite holiday of many is Valentine's Day. Planning a special something for your valentine is fun. The "doing" part of love is wonderful, but how do you measure up to the "being" part of love?
God is love, and when you have God in you, you are to be love, too. According to I Corinthians 13:4-7, "Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited; it is not rude and does not act unbecomingly. Love does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]" (Amplified). Wow. How do you measure up to that love meter?
For me, the part that jumped out was "takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]." That's hard, because we women tend to keep an account of wrongs we've suffered, from childhood on. We hang on to the hurt. We can go to our 50th high school reunion, see that person, and get mad all over again.
Yes, we tend to keep an account of those who've done us wrong, but Jesus asks, "If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?" (Matthew 5:46, NLT). Jesus had just talked about "the law that says, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,'" and He went on to say, "But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven..." (Matthew 5:44-45, NLT).
I know it's not natural to love your enemies, to pray for those who persecute you, but the good news is that, for the believer, you have supernatural ability right inside you. You've just got to tap into it, and that requires a daily crucifying of your right to be angry, bitter, and resentful. The reward is so worth it, though. The reward is a restoration of joy and peace in your mind, heart, and life.
Hebrews 12:14-15 [NLT]
"Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life... Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many."
What this has to do with weight loss: Living with a root of bitterness lodged deep in your heart will poison even your ability to release excess weight. Bitterness is a form of hatred, and hatred spreads. It begins to affect how you respond to and react to others, and, eventually, it turns inward once again, and you will find that you are unhappy with yourself and discontented with many aspects of your life. Root out that root of bitterness, throw it away, and you will find that the joy and peace that replaces it will cause great things to happen...even jumpstart your weight loss.
Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, there are those who have deeply hurt and wounded my heart, and it has been difficult for me to forgive them and forget the hurts. I want to love my enemies, as You said in Your Word. I want to pray for them and let go of the anger and bitterness I've held in my heart for so long. I want to be filled with the joy and peace that You want me to experience, so, I ask You to help me do what I cannot do on my own...take no account of wrongs done to me and to love even my enemies. Fill me so full of Your love that it spills over to even the unlovable. I pray all this in the Name of Jesus. Amen."
Go forth today, walking in love.
The Guy Detector (a book I proofread) gives girls the tools to stay safe. Read more about it (last product listed) at http://www.cdeanhall.com/products.html.
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