Maneuvers - No. 66
Receive Love
to Give Love
Do you ever feel as though you just don’t have enough, friend?
Not enough time, not enough energy, not enough emotional capacity to love the way you want to… the way you know Jesus is calling you to.
We (Jennifer and Justin) can understand that feeling.
Loving like Jesus means giving generously, caring selflessly, and protecting bravely. It’s unconditional, and it’s pure-hearted. That kind of love, it raises the standard. It goes beyond anything this world can offer or even understand.
And it’s incredibly easy to fall short of it, isn’t it? When we’re stressed or tired or hurting, it’s not easy to love like Jesus. We can feel like we just don’t have enough love to give.
But that’s not entirely true, is it? The truth is, yes, none of us has enough love to give in and of ourselves. But Jesus died and rose again so that he could give us open access to the Father and to allow us to enjoy his unimaginable love.
That love lives in us–because Christ lives in us.
Isn’t that amazing? We certainly think so!
But we also know that it’s one thing to understand this truth and another thing entirely to experience it for ourselves.
Friend, would you like to experience that kind of unconditional love filling you and overflowing to the world around you?
Then join us as we listen and receive from Holy Spirit today…
01.
The Message
“What I have for you is more than enough. Enough time. Enough energy. Enough capacity to love people. You have what you need to love. I know it doesn’t feel like that sometimes. I know you often feel depleted. Sometimes you feel worthless–unfit and incapable of loving the person in front of you. You size them up, look at what you think they can give you, how they aren’t measuring up. You compare and assess and determine the worth of a moment, a task, a person, by what you will get in return rather than what you can give. And this attitude, this mindset, this small way of thinking and living, limits you. It withholds your heart–from people. But not only that; it withholds love from yourself.
“Do you know the state of your heart? Do you know how to love people without manipulation, without asking for anything in return? Even when you say you are asking nothing of a person, when you love them, aren’t you secretly wanting them to love you for your love? How about trying this: loving from my love for you. You can only give from what you have received. Love is not authentic–love is not love–when it is not pure. And I am what is pure. And love is pure when it is given from me.
“So receive my love now, daughter, son. Be loved so you can give love. Receive what is yours, and give what is yours to give. Do not try to give what you do not have. Yet, give freely, give abundantly–after you receive freely, receive abundantly. Are you ready? Are you ready to receive all the love I have for you? Are you ready to be changed forever? Are you ready to be filled and filled and filled so that it overflows, overflows, overflows?
“What is your answer? I am excited for it. I am listening.
“Do not worry now. Receive me now. Be loved now. Be one with me now. We are meant to be together. You are made to be loved and receive and overflow.”
02.
Listen
Let’s meditate for a minute or two on what we just read and the questions Holy Spirit asked. What’s stirring in your heart? Let’s pull out our journals and respond to the Lord.
03.
Think
“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22, NIV).
1. In what ways do you enjoy loving people? How can you tell when it’s Jesus loving others through you?
2. Where (or whom) do you struggle to love? In what areas of your life can love be manipulative or selfish?
3. Where do you struggle to feel loved–by God and by others? Where do you thirst for it most?
4. What do you think Jesus wants to show you about his love this week?
04.
Trust
One of Jesus’ final commands to his disciples was: “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12, NIV). But how do we know if the way we love others is truly pure and authentic? How do we know if it flows from Jesus?
We can start by asking ourselves some difficult questions and trusting that we can answer honestly. After all, we’ve already been fully accepted and forgiven in Christ.
To start, let’s find a quiet spot where we can be alone. If it helps, put on some soft worship or instrumental music.
Now, let’s ask ourselves…
When I interact with someone, can they see or feel how much Jesus loves them?
When I love or give, do I think of how the other person might benefit me or whether they love me back? Do I love in order to win approval from God or other people?
Do I serve out of a sense of guilt or a desire to make up for a past wrong?
Do I love people in a certain way when I want something from them? Or do I give without expecting anything back?
Am I quick to apologize when I hurt others? When people come to me with an offense, do I listen to what they have to say without getting defensive?
There are many other questions we could ask ourselves to draw out impurities in the way we love. Ultimately, our flesh (pride, selfishness, unforgiveness, or shame) is what makes our love imperfect, and that’s something we can’t fully escape until we go home to Heaven.
So what do we do in the meantime? Let’s return to a portion of this week’s message:
“So receive my love now, daughter, son. Be loved so you can give love. Receive what is yours, and give what is yours to give. Do not try to give what you do not have. Yet, give freely, give abundantly–after you receive freely, receive abundantly.”
Let’s pause here and ask Jesus to show us the depths of his love for us. Let’s set a timer for five to ten minutes (or more if we can) and give Holy Spirit room to speak. Let him bring Scriptures about his love to our minds as well as personalized words of comfort and encouragement. Big or small, let’s write down whatever he shows us.
And now, let’s close with prayer…
05.
Pray
Father, thank you for your love. My love can be so imperfect at times. Thank you for forgiving me every time I fall short. I want your love to flow through me, so help me love others the way you love me–unconditionally, purely, authentically, without expecting any benefit in return.
I can’t love like that without you. You are all I need. Fill me with your light and your truth–let it chase away every shadow of selfishness and doubt and pride in my heart.
Your love is so good. Your heart is so kind, so just, so honorable. I will follow you anywhere, love whoever you ask me to love, and give whatever you want me to give. I surrender…
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Waving the banner with you,
