Week 10 Daily Dose of Love
(#64) 3/5
Woe to You When All Speak Well of You
Luke 6:26
“Woe
to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Being liked is quite different
from being loving. Whether someone likes or speaks well of us often depends on whether we please or impress
them. Desiring that “all speak well of us” requires perpetual compromise in
order to meet everyone’s whims and wishes while avoiding confrontation and disagreement. This is
very different from love. The desire to be liked at all times diverts us from true compassion, awareness,
and understanding which form the foundation for a loving relationship. It is not only possible; it is necessary
to love when we are not liked. Otherwise, love would remain fleeting and superficial. It
is a fair statement to say, that in a committed relationship, true love does not really began until we come to a moment when
we don’t really like our partner much. Love that deepens involves choosing to keep an open heart
in spite of disapproval and disappointment. Love requires humility effort and commitment. It reaches new
depths each time we choose to work through struggle and conflict. There may be times when being
truly loving requires clear boundaries and hard choices to put limits on inappropriate or destructive behavior.
This is seldom appreciated in the short-term but it can open what may be the only door to maturing and lasting love. We can focus
on being liked or we can choose to love - we can’t do both. Principles of Love:
Commitment; Acceptance; Compassion; Opening;
Suffering; Humility; Decision
Reflection/Discussion:
What makes other’s opinion of us
so important?
Pray through the Day:
Help us to love
When our will is weak
(#65) 3/6
Salt of the Earth
Matthew 5:13
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has
lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under
foot.
Mark 9:49-50
“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its
saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Luke 14:34-35
“Salt
is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure
pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”
Love can turn a bland, potentially boring experience into a delightful, wondrous occasion. Just
as salt arouses the deeper flavor in food, love brings out the true character of another human being.
We cannot accurately judge the full taste of a meal without salt. Neither can we discern the deeper
qualities and potential of another person without love. The only way we can know what someone is really like is to love them. Withholding
love in order to determine if it will be deserved or appreciated is like refusing to put salt on our food until we’re
sure it tastes good. We are different when we don’t feel loved. We become cautious
and defensive. We hold back and push away. When we feel loved, we can be ourselves.
We open to the deeper potential in ourselves and others. We become free and spontaneous.
Our true nature, what God created us to be, shines through. The good news is that God, our creator,
loves each one of us to the depth of our being. As we become seasoned by that love, we began to see the
potential for love in everyone else. Principles of Love:
Nature; Opening; Decision; Commitment; Vision
Reflection/Discussion:
Under what conditions are we most likely
to withhold love?
Pray through the Day:
We were created
From God’s love
(#66)
3/7
Light of the World
Matthew 5:14-16
“You
are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket,
but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before
others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Mark 4:21-2
He said
to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let
anyone with ears to hear listen!”
Luke 8:16-17
“No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts
it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. Or nothing is hidden that will not
be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light.”
Love is like light in that it simply exposes what
is already there. Turning on a light doesn’t change what is in a room but it does keep us from bumping
into furniture and knocking things over. Turning on the light allows us to see and work with what’s
there. Loving another person doesn’t, in itself, change them. But it allows us to see them as God
created them to be, and it makes it more possible for them to see themselves in terms of their God-given potential. Our ego tempts
us to build a spotlight that “shows the way.” But a spotlight only illuminates a small part
of reality. Shining a powerful beam in someone’s eyes actually blinds them so that they turn away. We cannot push
or force love. But it is our deepest nature is to move toward God. Our job is to make
sure that nothing blocks or shades the light of God’s love for us. Principles of Love:
Nature; Opening; Compassion; Vision
Reflection/Discussion:
Why are we tempted to keep some issues and concerns “in the dark?”
Pray through the Day:
We were created
From God’s love
(#67) 3/8
Jesus Comments on the Law
Matthew
5:17-20
“Do not think
that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly
I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all
is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to
do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in
the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus fulfills the letter of the law by showing us how to live the spirit of the law
- by showing us how to love. The law is like scaffolding that workmen build in order to work near the top of a building.
The scaffolding is necessary to support the workers and allows them to reach what needs to be done. But
building the scaffolding is not the whole job. The
purpose of laws and commandments in the church is to give direction and support so we can open our hearts to God and each
other. Simply following the commandments is not the whole job. The real job is to allow
God’s love to move through us into our world. Building the scaffolding puts us in a position to be
effective. Then its time to get to work.
Principles of Love:
Nature; Opening; Decision; Commitment
Reflection/Discussion:
What makes loving harder than following
commandments?
Pray through the Day:
We were created
From God’s love
(#68) 3/9
Jesus Comments on Anger
Matthew
5:21-26
“You
have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall
be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will
be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You
fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.
So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against
you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer
your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your
accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly
I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
The function of anger is to push others away.
When a dog growls, we back off. Pure anger only exists in the face of an immediate threat.
When anger is out of proportion to a situation, it’s a result of built-up of tension that usually comes from
holding in emotion or living under stress. Holding on to anger toward someone is a decision that continues to push them away from
us. The tension we build not only interferes with our life but it pushes us away from Godl. Letting go
of anger allows us to discern the emotion underneath the anger. (Anger always comes from another emotion such as fear, frustration,
embarrassment, hurt, etc.) Clarifying these underlying emotions in an accepting and respectful way makes
healing conflict and discord possible. Holding on to anger isolates us from God and each other. Letting
go of anger by dealing with the underlying emotion and resolving conflicts allows us to open our hearts to God and helps us
to see him in others. Any obstacle to loving another person becomes an
obstacle to receiving God’s love. Jesus tells us that loving God and loving others is all part of
one and the same love.
Principles of Love:
Acceptance; Decision; Commitment; Opening
Reflection/Discussion:
How can we prevent our anger from pushing
others away?
Pray through the Day:
Not my will
But yours be done
(#69) 3/10
Jesus Comments on Adultery and Divorce
Matthew 5:27-32
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall
not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed
adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it
is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your
right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your
whole body to go into hell.”
There is a joke about a man who loses his keys outside but goes into his house to look for them because
there is better light there. Looking for another person whom we may think might be easier to love undermines
the entire concept of what love is all about. Anyone who says that love is not hard and difficult work has never experienced deep
love. The good news is that this hard and difficult work deepens our capacity to give and receive love
by stretching and opening our hearts.
If the man who lost his keys had
brought a light with him, he would have found his keys where they were all along. The opportunity to love
is in front of us at all times, but we need the let the light and example of Christ flow through are hearts so we can clearly
see what is right in front of us - another child of God.
Principles of Love:
Commitment; Vision; Acceptance; Opening
Reflection/Discussion:
How can we distinguish between a temporary
illusion of love and love that is true and lasting?
Pray through the Day:
Help us to love
When our will is weak
(#70) 3/11
Jesus Comments on Oaths
Matthew 5:33-37
“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but
carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the
throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not
swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’;
anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
When we love
fully there is no need for grand gestures, oaths, or proclamations. The need to prove that we love
can be construed as evidence of our inability to love. When we love fully and completely, there is no need
for proof or embellishment. Love is enough all by itself. All love ultimately comes from God.
We can open our hearts to receive it and share it but we cannot add anything to it through our own efforts. Principles of Love:
Decision, Vision; Commitment
Reflection/Discussion:
What is the difference between hearing
you are loved and knowing you are loved?
Pray through the Day:
Help us always
To choose love
