#355 The Power to Love When We Cannot Romans 5:5 Part 2
When we pray for the power of the Holy spirit to love others with the love of God and Christ through us He creates the space to see the person we struggle to love in a new way.
When we read Romans 5:3-7 we see the power of this love that is poured out in our hearts through the Holy spirit, this love that loved us when we are powerless to help ourselves, this love that loves for the pure delight of blessing.
We picture the lengths and breadths of that love as we picture Jesus on cross. We see the compassion of that love as we see him heal and preach, being present with people in their need. We see the honesty and accountability of that love as he spoke hard truths to the religious leaders. He longed for each person’s highest good and blessing and he was willing to be part of that blessing at whatever the cost.
This love that is poured out in our hearts through the Holy spirit creates the willingness to be honest and speak even hard truth in love, creates the willingness to be present with people in their need, and creates the willingness to be part of their highest good and blessing at whatever the cost, all for the pure joy of blessing others.
“For the love of Christ controls us…”
We are willing to let the love of Christ live and love through us. We grow to see that person through the eternal eyes, the far reaching perspective of God and Christ.
“having concluded this, that one died for all, then were all dead…” [in need of deliverance] NASB/KJV
We grow to see the preciousness of their life to Jesus, the one who died for them and for each of us as part of the family of Adam.
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view…” NIV
We grow to see their struggles in the context of their strengths and in the context of the wounded heart that needs to be healed.
We are willing to let go of old habitual thought that dwells on past irritations and pain.
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come.”
We grow to experience a new way of being, HIS way of being: the pure joy of giving and loving that Jesus experienced when he preached and healed.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17