LOVE THAT YIELDS
As I continue to meditate on 1 Corinthians 13, I find ample writings on the subject of "loving man", and doing so "God's way". Let's concentrate on just what "God's way" is. As I meditate upon all that is being said in God's "LOVE" chapter, I especially perceive that the love God so desires for us to pursue and walk in daily, is a love that is "yielded" not only to Him, but very much to man. The God part is generally not too difficult. It's the yielding to man that gets us into an uproar, because man is not always nice to us. OK, so you might be saying "I'll do it anyway! I'll yield to man". When I consider what Paul, by the Spirit of God is saying, I must admit such a commitment from the heart is truly quite self sacrificing. Why do I say this? I say this because of what it actually means to yield to man. It means I will seek the good of you, over what is good for me. I will be more mindful of your needs, than of my own (see Romans 12:10) . If I am living this "yielded life", it means I will walk humbly before God (and you). If I am a child, it means I will submit to my parents. As married couples we will submit ourselves (humbly) to one another. It means submitting to ones employer. It means going the "extra mile" for others. We know it's easy to yield to one another when "everybody's happy". It's quite the opposite to yield when we are not being treated kindly. What if your spouse is unkind to you? What if your employer lays heavy tasks upon you, and shows no appreciation for all that you do? Can you still, from your heart, "humbly" yield ... in love? I want to take a moment to remind each of you, that our submission to others must never be opposed to God's word, but rather always in agreement with it. God would never ask us to sin against His word (see 2 Thes 3:14-15) . Ok, now let's think about traveling the extra mile for others. What if it's a mile that I'm in no mood to travel? Again, maybe this person has been quite the "thorn" in my flesh. Can I do it? Can you ? Yes, we can, but the question is, will we? And, if we do, how shall we do it? Are we willing to lay down our flesh, and follow after the Spirit of the living God? If we are willing, we can yield in love (God's love) to even the most difficult person, but it can only be accomplished if we are yielded to the heart of God, allowing His heart to flow through ours. So, will we walk that difficult mile (see John 15:12-13)? Let's take a moment to consider Jesus. Think of His road ... His road to the Cross. In no way was this an easy road for Jesus to travel, however He yielded so that "we might be saved". How willing are we to live such a yielded life? I'm quite confident opportunities will come our way today ... opportunities to patiently, kindly, and humbly yield ourselves and our services to those around us, thus perhaps making a needful difference in the lives of those we minister to. May we be willing, as was Christ, to put the needs of others before our own, is my prayer, in Jesus name, Amen (see John 13:35).
