As I mentioned earlier, this is the second of what should be four posts on this weeks installment of Peter. I will post the next post Sunday morning at 8:00 am Central time, followed what I hope to be the final installment for this week of Peter the Disciple. Hope you will enjoy.
What Does It Mean to Love Someone?
Its a fair question and a Question we often ask ourselves and others. So Let me ask you, what does it mean to love someone?
Loving someone means caring enough about them to wish their good and acting in a manner that enhances the likelihood of increasing that good.
Is Blind Acceptance Love?
Blind acceptance of anything somebody else does is not love, it is indifference.
What is Unconditional Love?
Unconditional love is not blind acceptance. Unconditional love is like a mother’s love. A mother will love her child unconditionally. Yet at the same time she clearly sees her child’s weakness and strengths.
With that definition of unconditional love, what will that mother do? She will always wish the best for her child and work unceasingly to bring that about.
What about Our Relationships with Others?
With the definitions of love, we have just reviewed, is this not the way we should deal with each other? We should accept each other as Christ has accepted us. He has accepted us unconditionally.
Although we accept each other unconditionally, this does not mean that we cease to care what each other does. Instead we care so much that we not only wish to rejoice on what is working well in their lives, but also would wish to warn them of potential dangers.
Why is This Important?
Last week In Peter 2:18 – 3:7 we looked at two specific groups, slaves and spouses and he now expands this to include everyone. In I Peter 3:8 he says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit.” Until we can get a handle, an understanding of the what it means to love someone, to love them unconditionally, but not turn a blind eye we cannot have a good relationship with our employer and if you are an employer with your employees.
This is true also of the relationship between a husband and wife. If the husband and wife are unaccepting of each other and unaccepting of God’s love, then how can they listen to each other and grow together.
What happens in the marriage is reflective of how our relationship is with God. If we are unwilling to listen to the reproof of our spouse, or turn a blind eye to the what the other is doing then what will our relationship be with our heavenly Father.
Therefore, these earthly relationship, show our true spiritual condition. Yet because of sin, perfectly human relationships are impossible to attain. Impossible unless we have unity of the spirit.
As the relationships between family, friends and associates affect how society functions, relationships between individual’s effects how the church functions. As our relationships or lack of relationship affects how society functions, this is also true in the church.
We will continue this next time as we pick up the theme, “Unity in Diversity.”
The Bible In Your Hand 