Living in His Love

I need to live in love.

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."
-1 John 4:16-

Growing up in church, I've learned so much about the Bible and about what I should and shouldn't do that sometimes I feel like I get desensitized to God. I take for granted that He's there, that He's listening, and that He cares. I do it more often than I'd even like to admit.

But, today, while I was minding my own business-- not paying a bit of attention-- God stepped in with a single word. Love.

How can I claim to be a Christian, but act like the world? Now, I'm not a "bad' person, by the world's standards. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't cheat, I curse every now and again (much to my chagrin), but that's not what God wants from me. I don't believe that God sits in Heaven with a checklist, giving me gold stars when I exceed His expectations or waiting to sit me in a corner when I disobey. I'm an imperfect person and there's no way I could ever be good enough. Period.

But even though I may not be "that bad," as I so often tell myself, there are still many qualities that I need to work on. I lie... alot. I hold grudges. And I'm not a true example of God's love.

Just because someone hurts me doesn't give me the right to hold that against them. Can you imagine what would happen if God held it against me every time I hurt Him? Pretty scary stuff, right? But, He doesn't. He chooses to love me. He chose to love me even when He was dying for my sin on the cross. He lived what He preached. He lived in love.

So, today, if given the opportunity to talk about someone-- I'm going to choose not to. I'm going to forgive without merit, because that's how I've been forgiven. And I'm going to walk in truth because that's the only example I have from Christ.

I can't walk around acting like everything is okay when there are people desperate to fill empty spaces in their lives with whatever the world offers them. Complacency may be an easy out for me, but God's love is never complacent towards me. It is vibrant and alive. It hurts my heart so much to think back on people in my life and wonder, "what if?" What if I missed my chance to witness to them-- and because of it I'll be held accountable for them. I can't live this way anymore.

I need to start living in love. I truly believe that if I try to emulate Jesus more in my every day life-- instead of getting so caught up in a house or a job that I only talk to Him when I need Him -- that He'll give me more opportunities to be that witness that I've so wasted in the past.

God, I want you to live in me. I want Your love to be evident in my life. I want my life to be a testament to Your love. Please, help me. I can't do this by myself. Amen.