The Antidote [2]

The Ola Olutayo Mail.
Today 3rd Oct, 2013.

The Antidote [2].

Yesterday I began talking about learning God's way of working towards what we envision; especially those about people and our relationship with them.
Using corresponding scriptural texts I affirmed that we cannot learn and put to work "these" ways outside of God's love demonstrated by the sacrifice of Jesus.
By the sacrifice of Jesus we join ourselves to the love of the Father.
And I said that the very first thing is to realise that we do not know how to love people.
We would normally give our best for people's best.
But not so with the way God demonstrated his love!

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

It is not by works or performance so that no one will boast.

"Therefore, as it is written: Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." I Cor 1:31.

See, if you do not understand the Father's love from the outset of your relationships with people, you'd slip off even your deepest comittments no matter how "good" you had envisioned them.
If it turns out so bad that you find it hard to cope with them, you might even denounce your previous comittments.
You'd wish it never started.
Some people try to struggle through but it's not just the best!
We also learnt that to learn God's way of love we have to give such people over to God!
He's the master at it, you are not!
Our way of love is rotten and the Good News of Jesus's sacrificial love is the ONLY way, the antidote, to revive it.
If you try to clip to them [also includes talents, material things, etc] you'd eventually lose them.
"Apart from me you can do NOTHING" Jesus says in John 15:5b!
So learn to love people from God's hands because even if you lose them, they'd still be in his lands and never fall out of his love!
This means you put the value of God's love to work in your relationships; be it romantic, business, friendship, family ties, etc.
Again I say that you might not be so perfect at doing this BUT you are becoming what God wants you to be!
Why?
Because he's pleased with you by your faith for "without faith it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6.

The second to learn out of Jesus's sacrificial love is COMPASSION.
It is the most useful factor of love that Jesus never did without.
Compassion followed him everywhere as closely as his garment.
It was good to him to be compassionate even in pain! Luke 23:34.
He would stretch forth his hand [Matt 14:31],
leave his garment flowing [Mark 5:28],
pass through the forbidden paths [John 4:4,9],
cover your shame [John 2:7-10],
give you what you didn't deserve [John 8:7-11],
and many more...
but above all,
he'll never leave nor forsake you, giving his Holy Spirit to live in you! John 14:16-18.

But what is the case with us?
It's more like the opposite.
Just as faith without works is dead, so is love without compassion.
Compassion is the corresponding action to love.
Compassion is finding the missing part in a situation and filling it.
You will become "Mr. or Mrs. Missing Part" to people in your relationships by virtue of compassion.
You will work on and use your gift(s) to bless people.
You will use your material things as a substance that fills someone's need.
We needed healing, Jesus got beaten.
We needed salvation, Jesus screamed, "Present!"
We needed joy, Jesus smiled.
We needed peace, Jesus gave it away.
We needed material wealth, Jesus became poor.
We needed a leader, Jesus washed our feet.
We needed someone who can say "I've been there!" and Jesus became a man!
We have been victims of stealing, murder, and destruction but Jesus said, "Here's life, to the full!"
We needed a friend, and Jesus is the friend closer than a brother!
We needed God!
We needed God to do in our lives only what he can do. And there was Jesus, "God with us!"
Jesus did all these and many more because of his compassion for us.
Though we can't match his compassion, still he demands that we learn from him! Matt 11:29.

There is a force behind compassion that you need to realise.
This force is in fact, what makes us see Jesus as compassionate.
The force behind compassion is that compassion is not forced!
It is not imposed.
You can't be compassionate with people in your relationships when you're forced or threatened.
I learnt this from Jesus.
Jesus said,

"...I lay down my life for the sheep...No-one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord..." John 10:15,18.

In fact, Jesus said that God loves him for this very reason:

"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life..." v17.

The beauty of compassion is that you are not a loser!
It's like you lose not lose!
I think it is essential to know this upfront because the devil will make you feel so!
Jesus concludes in v17:

"...only to take it up again."

But you will lose IF you didn't do it because of him, for he said

"...whoever loses his life for ME will find it." Matt 16:25.

Till I hopefully finish this topic tomorrow, keep in touch!