Living Loved: Part 1
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.
I was studying John 3 recently, and I don't know how to describe what happened, but it was almost as if I had an epiphany. Has that ever happened to you? The best way I know how to share is to simply share with you a couple of the lines that I wrote in my journal. This particular day I was reading John 3.
"I need to stop being so hard on myself and on others. I need to love myself AND others because God does. God, help me to live loved and help others to live loved!!"
--I had read the concept "live loved" initially from Lysa Terkeurst, but it wasn't until I was reading the scripture this particular day that it really just all "clicked". I was then inspired to think about this further and write about it.
How can I live loved?
1. Forgive myself
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Psalm 103:12
As a Christian, God has forgiven me and is forgiving me, when I repent and ask for it. I do not need to hold on to my own guilt. It is a weight that has already been lifted! Praise God! Living loved means knowing I am forgiven and moving on.
2. Forgive others
Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Luke 17:3-4 So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
It is clear that forgiveness of others is not a suggestion but a commandment. In fact, we ourselves will be forgiven based on our forgiveness of others. When we forgive others, we are imitating what Christ has done for us! What a beautiful way to show God's grace to others. Living loved means forgiving others.
3. Re-evaluate to remove unnecessary expectations
When we place expectations on ourselves and especially on others, this often can lead to disappointment. Why? Because we are subconsciously expecting people to a) be perfect b) read our minds c) act accordingly. This is such an easy blind trap to fall into. People are going to disappoint us every. single. day. It's just the way it is in this world. Disappointment seems to hurt the most from those we are closest to, but we have to remember that other people were not created to live up to our expectations and desires. I know for me, I have to constantly remind myself that for the most part, the people I interact with on a daily basis do not have cruel or evil intentions. The person who cuts me off in traffic is probably not thinking "I want to cut this person off and make her angry!" They're most likely thinking about where they need to be, with little to no thought about me or my schedule (And yes I realize that's still not polite, but that's not the point I'm trying to reach). The person who doesn't show up for a meeting is not trying to throw my schedule off-track. The person who forgets to pay me back is most likely not being greedy with money. They probably just have a lot on their plate. What about the person who invited x and y to their holiday gathering but didn't invite me? What about the person who came to town and didn't think to tell me? What about the person who didn't send me a happy birthday text? I could list examples all night. The point is...the more expectations we place on others, the more disappointments we will encounter. When we give others the benefit of the doubt, we remove a lot of hurdles to jump over in our lives. When I was researching this topic, I came across this image.
I thought this was a rather good illustration. The web page referred to this as the "disappointment wedge". Disappointment can lead to discouragement, which leads to disillusionment, which can lead to depression, in turn leading to defeat. Defeat is right where Satan wants us! Disappointment in and of itself is pretty harmless, but can lead us away from the mindset God provides. So how should we deal with disappointment? Other than decreasing and removing unnecessary expectations, we should talk it out, pray about it, seek Godly counsel, and/or let it go. I also find it helpful to remember that Jesus knows good and well what it feels like to be disappointed.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Living loved means dealing with disappointment in healthy ways and being mindful of the expectations we place on ourselves and others.
4. Revert to temporary mindset for earthly matters, eternal mindset for soulful matters
2 Corinthians 4:16-28 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things
Living loved also means remembering that our time on this Earth is limited. Many of the things I'm so worried about right now, will I be worried about them 1 month from now? 1 year from now? 5 years from now? I need to spend the majority of my time on eternal matters. The only things I can take with me to Heaven so to speak are my soul and the souls of others!
5. Remind myself that things are...things.
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
1 Timothy 6:7-8 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Matthew 6:19-20 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Hebrews 13:5
Mark 8:36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Ecclesiastes 5:15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.
Matthew 19:21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.
I don't know about y'all, but I would love for someone to be able to say about me that I shared everything that I had. The fact of the matter is that every blessing we have is from God. Nothing we have is truly ours, for it all belongs to God. He has called us to be good stewards of His gifts. Living loved means sharing our time, resources, money, etc. with others when we're able! We must be careful not to get caught up in materialism. If we can't take it with us when we go, its value is insignificant.
6. Spend more time with Love
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Psalm 91:1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
1 John 4:7-21 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
How can we live loved? By spending time with LOVE! 1 John 4 tells us that God is love. To live loved, we need to spend time with God. Life is busy, but never too busy for us to put Him to the side or on the back-burner (I'm talking to myself more than anyone, I promise)! Spending time in His word, in prayer, in fellowship with our fellow brethren, and worship are the best ways we can be spending our time. This goes along with "soulful matters" that I mentioned above.
7. Share Love, Show Love, Shout Love
As shared above, 1 John 4 tells us that we love God by loving others. Living loved means loving ourselves, loving each other, and sharing Love (God) with others! As Christians, the way we treat other people says a LOT about us. In fact, John 13:35 tells us that others will know if we belong to God by the way we love each other! Now THAT'S a calling! Living loved means letting everyone and anyone know that they are valuable and significant because they are a child of the one, true, living God!! That's something to shout about!
Living loved is one of the joys of being a Christian! I pray that something said in this post will bless you. I also pray that you know that you are SO loved! God loves you and so do I! Bless and be blessed today, dear friend. Rest in the peace of knowing you are loved by the Creator of the universe.
Check out Part 2 of Living Loved here!
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