January 14, 2011
What is love towards brothers? Does it mean to agree with everything? Does it mean to stay together no matter what? To some, this means love, but I don't think it means love to the Christian. In the situation of church I mean.
I think as Christians part of being in a church has to do with callings. You should be part of a church that you can fulfill your calling in. So when you leave a church because you are not fulfilling your calling by being there, I don't think leaving is not showing love. It is just a difference of calling. For example, just because I quit my job doesn't mean I hate everyone there. In fact, I worked at In-N-Out and quit because I'm a teacher, that is my calling. I love dearly the people there and every time I see them I rejoice. But, we had to part ways.
I don't think love is a feeling or an emotion. I think it's part of love, but especially in regards to everyone except your spouse, I think love has very little to do with emotion. Love is a choice. Love it to understand others' point of view. Love is to not look down on someone because they are different than you. Love is appreciating and recognizing someone's strengths. But love is also discipline, accountability, honesty. Love is being truthful. Love is being real, authentic.
I love my students but I don't join them in what they do. I love my friend, but I don't agree with her view of God. So can you understand, appreciate, be honest, encourage (all of which are synonyms for love) the older generation and not stay on the same path with them? I think the answer to that is yes.
Another question you asked is "Do we feel anything towards them?" I think we should not leave in anger, bitterness, frustration, or pride. Those are feelings that you shouldn't feel towards them. These are feelings that the flesh produces. Instead we should feel compassion, gentleness, patience, humbleness. These are more than feelings. We can't of our own doing make ourselves compassionate, gentle, humble, or patient. This is supernatural. Only God can make us love. I think when we look at another human soul, we should like C.S. Lewis realize that we don't see just a person but instead a soul. A valuable soul. And we should love their soul.
"Remeber that the dulest & most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship...
There are no 'ordinary' people. You have never talked to a mere mortal." -The Weight of Glory
By love, I mean to respect & value the other person just because of that, because they are a person. They are created by God. They have value. Because if we have to agree to love, then how come God calls us to love the sinner? How come God calls us to love the drunk, the prodigal? We don't agree with them, we love them because they are made by God and they have intrinsic value.
I'd also like to write about this comment you made:
"In all reality, when a human being disagrees with another one there is naturally some sort of tension there. Maybe we shouldn't even fight the way feel towards one another."
Yes I agree. But what you are missing here is that there is something that we can receive that is beyond the tension & feelings that we have naturally. There is something supernatural that supersedes our natural feelings. This is love. Love is supernatural. Love is God. And only He enables us to love one another.
At the meeting last night, I was praying for love. Love can only come from God, and if you look at Galatians 5 the fruit of the Spirit, there's only one fruit. The fruit is love and love is manifested in these ways; goodness, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control.
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