Love letter #32: Love is a two way street

I came home too late last night to make my post appointment for the day. I felt as if I broke a promise, and was sad for not holding up my end of the bargain. Although last night was the first night that I totally missed completely, but it had been happening gradually: I started posting just after midnight to make my self imposed "deadline", then after 1am, and then finally last night, I missed it all together.

It seemed o.k. at first-- after all, no one really cares if I miss a day, or if I post a little later.  But I should. It is a reflection of the same slippery slope we often find ourselves in with sin. It usually starts with something that seems harmless, maybe fudging the line a little bit. It seems like everyone, including yourself, excuses your behavior because it isn't horrible, matter of fact is is expected. However, it is clearly not what you set out to do and is not meeting the standard you know you should be attaining. Then it becomes easier and easier to drift away from the place where God would have you to be.


If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.  James 4:17

We see the same pattern in broken relationships. A fiery love starts out strong, and then one person may start to take the other for granted, paying less attention to the wants and needs of the other. Finally, it seems like all of a sudden, the person who has been taken for granted is looking for love, affirmation and affection somewhere else. It starts with small things, but small things turn into patterns, and patterns turn into big things.

Love between God and ourselves (in that sense) is like love between two people. It must be nurtured, cared for and attended to, or it grows cold and lifeless. Fortunately for us, God isn't as fickle as we are and he holds up His end of the bargain always. However, we lose out on an amazing relationship when we drop the ball on our end and don't make an effort to change. We don't always "drop the ball"  as  because we don't think the person is worthy of our effort, but at time "dropping the ball" is convenient and feels better than making the sacrifice for the person we love. But if one person is always doing all the sacrificing, and paying attention to the details of the other, the relationship is lopsided and weak. Love between us and God, similar to love between two people, is a two way street.

That does not mean that we can earn God's love, in fact, it is a gift that He gives us freely. However, our actions are a mark of how sincerely we love Him back. In the last post, "Do we really love Jesus?", the blogger emphasized our duty to do as Jesus commanded in order to show our love for Him (1 John 5:1-3). He reminded us that according to scripture that looks like: obeying His word, laying down our lives and not loving the world.

God desires a healthy, vibrant relationship with us. One where we spend time together, where there is honor and trust, compassion and adoration. Even though the God of the universe is who He is, He still desires to love us tenderly and receive our love in return (John 15:9).

Thank God for grace! Since we know that we fall short of how we should love God, daily, and He doesn't remove His love from us, we should be quick to love others the way He loves us. In fact, Jesus commands us to love others (John 15:12). Let's not be selfish and just receive love, but give it to God by doing what He commands-- which includes giving it to others.  After all, love is a two way street.

Hatred stirs up conflict,

   but love covers over all wrongs. 

Proverbs 10:12

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

Lord, may we love you better by obeying you, doing what we know is right to do and loving others as you have loved us. Amen.