Uncommon Love

Uncommon Love.

Most of us tend to reward people based on what they have done for us but as followers of Christ Jesus in deed, we need to go beyond such normal grain of human nature.

The famous verse, John 3:16 makes us understand that, God's love for the world was so great that He gave up the life of His one and only Son in ransom for the people of this fallen world, that whoever would believe in him should not perish, spending the rest of eternity in the damnation of hell but have eternal life of fellowship with Him.

Note that God ransomed His son for us. His son died in our stead as a result and before he knowingly died at the hand of mankind he still promised men help in the person of the Holy Spirit to redeem God's prized creation from his fallen estate.

We too can and should reflect such uncommon love in our daily lives to our fellow man.

Matthew chapter 5 has a retinue of characteristics of "Uncommon Love" we can imbibe to prove we are like Christ in our daily interactions with others.

These characteristics at a first glance may seem to be a hard sell indeed but I do believe that by having them always before us and through meditation and prayer, we will be able to make a lifestyle out of them.

Let's touch some of them for a deeper understanding of what Jesus would have us consistently live by:

1. Be light in the darkness:
In Matthew 5:14 to 16, we are reminded that as followers of Christ, who as in John 1:9 KJV, is the true Light, that illuminates every man that is born into the world, we are likewise to be the light of the world.

In a world where people are rushing to bring the darkness into the light by conforming to its ungodly fashion, language, fallen economic and financial systems, etc., God expects us to dare to be different by shining the light of His love before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify Him as a result.

2. Forgo your right to retaliate: 
God desires that for every offense perpetrated against us that we do the abnormal, uncommon and godly thing; that we overlook and forgive just as Christ our Lord does to us on a daily basis if we would care to keep count.

God requires that as willing disciples of Christ we do away with the very popular "An Eye for an Eye" attitude all men have been born with, to the abnormal "turn the cheek" approach when one is slapped.

Everything depicted in Matthew 5:38 to 42, that seem to be absurd acts to follow in the eyes of most of us, is exactly what God would have us abide by.

God, who would have us at every given point in time, hand over what we value most, to the thief that took our belongings, summed it all up in this one command, "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."

Christianity is an uncommon lifestyle that solely requires the seemingly abnormal Christ-like behaviour of uncommon love. As his followers, let's reflect his character everywhere we go.

Shalom.

Uncommon Love (2)