CHOOSING to Love
God is always our best example
That’s just a hint of how God feels when we are patient towards Him. It’s part of a godly relationship. And here’s a golden nugget: The more you recogTo live out the greatest command, we must first nize God’s patience toward you and “own” how that receive God’s love and let it grow within our hearts. feels deep in your heart, the easier it is to exercise And yes, it’s a lifelong process. patience back toward God and build that relationAt the beginning of the year I decided to use ship. this space to focus on God’s greatest command. If But wait – there’s more. The second greatest comyou’re connecting with this series for the first time mand says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In and would like to read the foundational material of terms of patience, this means “be patient with your this discussion, I encourage you to visit Christian neighbor in the same way that you’re patient with Living’s website to read my last two columns. Visit yourself.” https://www.christianlivingmag.com/columns/ This part of the teaching occasionally causes hicLast month I started talking about the definicups. I’ve had people tell me, “You’re not supposed tion of agape love, which is found in 1 Corinthians to love yourself. You’re supposed to deny yourself !” 13:4-7. Specifically, I selected the first phrase, love is My response is simple: Yes, deny your flesh, but culpatient. Using simple logic, I said that if God is love, tivate the Spirit’s love that God placed in your heart and love is patient, that means God is patient. Daniel Bobinski and commanded you to use. And so, one way we can acknowledge God’s love Second, some people will say, “But I can’t be for us is by recognizing His patience toward us. patient with myself ! I can be patient with God and with others, but I But recognizing God’s patience is deeper than saying, “Thank you, can’t be patient with myself !” God, for being patient with me.” It’s more like, “Thank you, God, To that I say, “God knows it’s okay to be patient with you. Do you for being patient with me when I went about my day not acknowlknow more than God?” After all, if God’s love is dwelling within edging You nor seeking Your wisdom.” Or, “Thank you, God, for being patient with me when I snapped at you, you have the capability to do it. To those who don’t believe they can be patient with themselves, my child for breaking a dish.” I say if you acknowledged God’s patience toward you and realized The more situations you can identify, and the more specific they that it enhanced your relationship with Him, receiving from yourself are, the deeper your appreciation will be for the patience God gives. the gift of God’s patience will also enhance your relationship with Chances are that the more you acknowledge and value God’s paGod. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s true. tience, the more you will sense gratefulness for His love. Besides, loving your neighbor as yourself is a command, so As we explore the greatest command, it’s important to remember really, it’s not an option. that God is always our example. And we must also remember that if When I first started studying this aspect of love, I thought about we’ve invited His Spirit into our hearts, then His love is there, waiting my woodworking hobby. I would make mistakes in the wood shop for us to do something with it. and get all impatient with myself. But when I set out to be more paBy way of reminder, the greatest command is: tient with myself, I’d stop after a mistake, take a few relaxing breaths, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your and mentally acknowledge the patience I chose to give myself. soul and with all your mind. I must tell you, it felt good. So, again, I say try it. As a bonus, when And the second greatest command is like it: you’re exercising godly patience with yourself, others find it Love your neighbor as yourself. easier to be around you! It’s one thing to tell God you love Him, but how do Finally, think about how you’ve exercised we specifically love Him? patience with others in the past. Be sure to First up is patience. identify specific examples. Then think A few paragraphs ago I asked you to about how you might be more patient identify several situations in which God with others in the future. One example showed patience toward you. Well, might be when people are late. Or, now I ask you to identify several situwhen someone forgets to do someations in which you’ve been patient thing you asked. Instead of getting with God. frustrated, you can relax and Perhaps there was a time you exercise patience. believed God was leading you Bottom line, the more you can into a new line of work or a new recognize and receive God’s paministry, but it took much longer tience, and the more patience you than you expected. If you were can extend yourself, the easier it impatient and antsy during the is – and the more fulfilling it is – waiting, it wouldn’t have been a to extend patience to others. loving stance. But if you exercised Through it all, you will be patience, trusting that the Lord strengthening your relationship would work things out in His time, with God – because God is love that would have been a demonstraand love is patient. n tion of patience. Think of several times you’ve exDaniel Bobinski, M.Ed. is an award-winning ercised patience with God. Be specific. and best-selling author and a popular speaker Think about all the details. at conferences and retreats. Reach him at Now I’d like you to think about something. daniel@eqfactor.net or (208) 375-7606. Remember how you felt when you received God’s patience from the earlier exercise – how Image by Photo Mix from Pixabay grateful you were for the patience He was giving you? By Daniel Bobinski
12 July / August 2020 | Christian Living
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