True Love

Written by: Cenia Means Masterson

While most people today would define love as a feeling, Jesus Christ defines it quite differently. 

Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: 

Jesus defines love for Him as obedience to Him. We may say that we love Jesus, but our lifestyle will reveal whether our love is really true or not. True love is the perfect love that motivated Jesus to surrender His back to the beating and His life to the cross for us. 

Joh 15:13-14 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
He asks nothing more and deserves nothing less than our love in return, but the love He asks for, the love He is worthy of, isn’t just lip service. It is life service. 

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Will we deny the passions and pleasures of sin for a season to live a life of obedience and full devotion to Him or do we love self more than Jesus? Jesus asked Simon Peter a simple question that we, who claim to love Him, should ask ourselves as well.

John 21:16 Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Do we?

Performance Love

So recently I was hurt by someone I love. We all have been there right? Well regardless of the pain, I pressed on in God's Love and sent her and her family a Christmas card. Many days later I got a text message back saying; thank you I wasn't expecting nothing. I pondered that reply. And this is what God showed me. 

When I was a child and even when I was officially grown (by age that is) my parents had expectations on me. It was to get good grades on my report card, kept my room clean, be nice to my sister and others. I mean these weren't out of the norm expectations right? Most parents want their kids to excel right? But what happened when I didn't live up to these expectations or perform up to their standards? Well usually I either got yelled at, the belt or put on punishment and sometimes all of the above. But when I brought home the report card with all A's and 1 B, my room was sparkly clean and I was nice to my sister and others I was rewarded-rightfully so right? So I developed a "Performance Love" meaning when I did good I was rewarded and loved and when I didn't 

I was punished and not shown love. 

Back to the person who hurt me-she obviously was raised the same way-what she thought her performance deserved. It hurt my heart that she thought I only loved her when she was acting a certain way. And that she really didn't know that I loved her no matter what-unconditionally.  I don't blame her. I understand how she would think that based in how I was raised and maybe you too?

God's Love (Agape Love) unconditional selfless, self-giving and sacrificial love. 

Do you have that for others?

When we really love others (God's Love) there is no expectations on that person. We want the best for them, but if they fail to live up to that we don't withhold love. We don't gossip about them. We actually cover them-Love covers. 

This also needs to be applied for those that clearly show in actions and in truth that they don't love you. If you truly love someone, just because they don't love you back shouldn't stop you from loving them. If you stop loving them back because of there lack of love in return then your love for them 

is conditional or a type of performance love. 

Let's Love Like Jesus-Not in a Performance type Love-Let others know with God's help you will Love them unconditionally and no matter what-

God is crazy about you! He loves you no matter what! 

His Love is relentless-

Let's put on His Love to Love others

and take off any conditional or performance type Love.