Love Each Other
Today I’ll be talking about unconditional and everlasting love and how important both are to your children.
John 15 9-10, 12-14, and 16-17 read:
“Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love. Just as I obey my fathers commandments and remain in his love.”
“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for the life of friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.”
“You didnt choose me, I chose you. I appointed you to go and producw lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.This is my commandment: Love each other.”
At our Fathers Day church sermon our pastor spoke of these types of love, everlasting and unconditional. He said that just as the father has done unto us, we must too love unconditionally. Not just that easy unconditional love that we give freely to family or friends…but an unconditional love placed onto everybody we meet! This is what I have found so important about the above quoted scriptures.
John 15: 13,”There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for ones friends.” speaks of exactly that. To love friends, and friends of friends unconditionally just as Jesus loves us.
I myself find it hard sometimes to give that unconditional love out to people I dont even know, as I was taught to only give it to those deserving. But, as I continue down this new path with Jesus, I’m learning to give it out to everyone no matter if they “deserve it” or not! Know that there is a difference between “loving unconditionally” and just beibg nice to everyone…I know I’ve struggled with that. If you walk with Jesus’s love in your heart, people won’t just be nice back, but they will even be drawn to you!! As if some magnetic force is bring you towards God’s people. This force is no less then God’s love.
This is an important lesson to learn and I encourage it to be taught to your own children at a young age. My challange for you today is this: to walk in God’s love and practice giving this ongoing, everlasting, unconditional love to everyone you meet. This includes the small encounters, the tired taxi driver taking you to work, that man on the street half clothed in the dead of winter, the person tailing behind your car angryly trying to pass you because he woke up too late or the old woman behind you in line at the grocery store with two items…let her go before you, carry on a conversation and maybe even learn something new! Talk of God’s everlasting love. Give it freely to everyone, open your heart to Jesus and watch his miracles happen!! Set that good example for your children so they will grow up knowing Gods amazing love, imagine how muh more positive their lives will be!!
Today I’m headed to a weekend Youth Gospel Camp just outside of my city for the first time. I had wanted so badly to go but financially (as Im on mat leave) it juat wasn’t in the cards for me to go. Until, very last minute someone from my church sponsored me to go! Can you believe it? Thats a perfect example of unconditional love right there! Someone who doesn’t even know me gave out their unconditional love and made a sacrifice to allow me to go and experience this wonderful camp. God’s love works that fast, he knew how much I wanted to go and made it happen!! Now its my turn to pay it forward this weekend.
Maybe I’ll find someone who is a little shy and insecure and Ill befriend them! Tell them of God’s love…whho knows?! 
God bless,
Chelsea
