Highlands Post Column Jul-2016

13th Jul 2016 Highlands Post (Outreach Media)

Jesus’s command is this, ‘Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another’ (John 13:34).

Who can argue with love? So deeply is the goodness and rightness of love built into our psyche and nature that it’s like North on a compass. We know if we want to travel in the right direction in life then in our heart of hearts, love is the right course.

But knowing love is good and right doesn’t mean we love often and well. All of us struggle at times to understand love and to know what it should look like. Who should I love? My ‘always happy to see me’ dog with the soulful, non-judging eyes and wagging tail? Or that close friend who really understands me? Or even myself? It’s even possible to convince ourselves that our obligation to love has been satisfied because we’re busy and well-connected in our community.

The truth is that some love is easier than other kinds. Jesus goes on to say,

“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”

Jesus’ point is that it’s easy to love those who love us back but really hard to love those who don’t. And the hardest love of all is to give what’s yours to people who are difficult and ungrateful.

But this is exactly how Jesus responded to the people of this world who couldn’t care less about God. Demonstrating his love by laying down his life for selfish and thankless people like us; paying for our sins on a cross in order to free us from the judgment of God; and giving eternal life to those who put their trust in him for the forgiveness of their sins.

So will you spend some time today thinking about this amazing love and your response to Jesus? And whether the love you give is ever difficult or costly… or directed to people who aren’t easy to love.

Ian Brunton