Do you believe incarnate love changes lives and gets God's attention?

Do you believe incarnate love changes lives and gets God’s attention?  Understanding incarnate love could bewilder those who do not believe in God - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Incarnate love includes trusting, obeying, and honoring God while enjoying a personal, precious relationship with Jesus-  complete with a built in GPS!  Loving from the heart activates the Helper that guides and gives personal directions to those who are connected to the Vine!  Incarnate love gives daily dividends beyond understanding while serving our Savior out loud with gladness. 

Are we sometimes quick to judge people based on outward appearance or what we think we see them doing?   Surely, we have been judged just as we have judged others on first impressions. God reminds us to look closer at those we judge, with an inward focus.

Judging others can damage relationships.  Seeds of indifference can sprout in hearts where love should reign. When we live by Jesus’ example, love will light our paths through all seasons of our lives; hearts will be right with our Lord, loved ones…even our enemies!  We may not understand motives or methods of those with whom we share the planet, but we don’t see their hearts as God does.  He knows the rest of the story… for ALL His Children; He sees the hearts.

In 1 Samuel 16:7, we are reminded that God “…looks at the heart”!

God sees how we live, how we give, and how we love.  Many reading this story gave gifts to friends and family at Valentine’s Day.  Did you give roses, candy, or a special card that showed how much you care? Giving is great-t-t!  But genuine giving involves much more than giving things to people we care about.

Jesus Himself - who is, in His essence, love personified - didn’t merely provide us the gift of salvation; He gave us Himself?

So, what would Jesus want us to do ‘for such a time as this’ when people throw words at one another that cause us to shudder in our shoes? Newscasts replay revelers, naysayers, and unbelievers that reek havoc and hatred - pitting nation against nation, and we watch as our world makes what is wrong seem right and what is right seem wrong.  Are we truly sinking in sin far from peaceful shores, sinking to rise no more?  Do we stick our heads in the sand and hope it all goes away?

No, we must stand up for Jesus and show the world His love by letting our lights shine brighter than ever even when it seems we are sinking.  Standing up as soldiers of the cross for the Gospel, a gift of love from God, is needed and necessary from sea to shining sea!  When the Master of the sea hears our despairing cries, He will lift us by His love out of the angry sea of chaos, crime, and confusion and safe we will be!  When nothing else will do - love can lift me and you!

Neither can we as Christians throw words at people and not love them; our love would be hollow. Rather, we show love by giving of ourselves - by giving our concern, our prayers, our compassion, our Christlike, sacrificial love.

So, loving as Christ so loves us is the answer?  Yes it is! Divine love pays the price. It gets involved.  Incarnate love isn’t always convenient, but it changes lives…and gets God’s attention!

When we love like Jesus, we can sing in fierce storms, shout in turbulent times, and stand firm in faith as the world watches what WE will do.  

Our greatest duty is to LOVE.