How's your love life? John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. What a challenge. As beleivers we are to be involved in one of the most difficult activities of all, love. Simple, unpretentious, unbiased, unconditional, and unrestrained love. The kind of love that continues even when offenses have been offered. The kind of love that intensifies when another has let you down. The kind of love that grows stronger to compensate for when anothers is growing weaker. In deed this concept of Love is challenging. We like the kind of love described in Romans 5:8 "...that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." This self directed kind of love is humbling and inspiring. At least until we realize that it implies that I extend this level of love to others. If I really apply the scripture to my life I must love all others at all times. My enemies, my friends, my children, and yes....... my spouse. Romans 5:8 implies that even when people do to me what I hate my call in Christ is to extend to them the feelings of my love. When I feel the chill of anger and hotility claw it's despicable way through my memory over yesterdays issues I should love my offenders with tommorrows love. Only by reconciling yesterday's pain with tommorrows Joyin Christ can I truly enjoy today's blessing. Let me play a word game with you. I'll say a word and you say how you feel about the word or person it represents. Please take a moment to feel each word, record a response, and then proceed to the next word. 1. Mother? 2. Father? 3. Sister? 4. Brother? 5. Husband? 6. Wife? 7. Neighbor? Now I would ask you to answer the following questionstruthfully and immediately after you read them. 1. I feel most comfortable when...... 2. The moment in my life that I felt the least comfortable was...... 3. If I could change anything about my life it would be...... 4. The person i most admire is....... 5. The person I most hate is ....... Thes quetions in this "game" have illicited responses from your heart. If you have an aggressive or harsh answer to any othe above you must search your heart for why you feel that way. You also must seek the Word of God for how the Lord desires you to relate to the person involved in your feelings. And then you must pray that God help you to forgive, forget, and reconcile your feelings to a level of righteousness in Him. All of us have been abused at some point. All of us have been offended at some point. Each has a sorrow in our hearts. But we have also been called to love one another in a selfless and meaningful way. Only through complete forgiveness of others and divine intervention will we ever achieve this most challenging of loves. Without this level of love we risk broken homes, hearts, and further wounds brought on by unforgiveness. If you need further help with anger, or anfrustration feel free to e-mail at the given address. God bless you this glorious day. Pastor Walters.

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