Occasionally, I read something that touches me at the core of my heart. Such was the case a few days ago when I read the holiday love challenge. It is a challenge to experience the love of God and then to share that love with others throughout this holiday season.
One of the great revelations of my life has been understanding that God truly loves me. Like a baby in its mother’s arms, there’s nothing I can do except rest in my fathers absolutely love for me. It took a while for me to settle the fact that I was God’s beloved child.
So when a friend of mine sent me this holiday love challenge, it hit me at a place very close to my heart. Because not only do I want to expand on that love for myself, I want you to experience it as well.
So for the full month of December, we Challenge you to focus on being loved by God and then sharing the nature of his love with others. Here is the holiday love Challenge as it was presented to me…
Holiday Love Challenge
During a teaching at church, a couple of weeks ago, the focus was about being aware of the people around you and taking the opportunity to connect with others when there was a door to reflect on the love of Christ. Galatians 5:14 states, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” That stuck with me afterwards and began to make me think about what it means to love your neighbor as yourself and look to scripture to see what it says about how love looks.
I believe before we can love others as ourselves, we really need to have a revelation of how much God loves us. When we have a revelation of how much love has been extended to us through the grace of God, we are able to give that same grace and love to others. Paul wrote to the Ephesians this prayer in chapter 3:14-19,
“14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
The Amplified Bible translation says it as:
“14 For this reason [[d]seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name]. 16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. 17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, 18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; 19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, [e]through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses [f]mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] [g]unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and [h]become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!”
He prayed that they would come to know the love of God through Christ beyond a mental understanding of it but that they would experience it in a real, tangible way. Paul knew that it would transform them in such a way that it would release the fullness of God in them.
God has given us the capacity to love the way He does. It is the first fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22, but it is something that has to be cultivated until it becomes our first nature and not our second. I believe it is easier when we experience His love which is beyond our head knowledge.
Holiday Love Challenge
Join me in this challenge of love. First, if you have not experienced God’s love in a tangible way, pray that you do. Second, look at the attached Passage from 1 Corinthians 13 and see what the Bible says love looks like. Print it out and hang it on your fridge or bathroom mirror. Review it twice a day for 30 days and take opportunity to show God’s kind of love to your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and even strangers.
Next, Be a reflection of God’s love to the world and allow Him to demonstrate His grace through us. We are all called to the ministry of reconciliation, 2 Corinthians 5:18.
God bless,
Aaron T. Hyde
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