Love Others Willingly

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Love Others Willingly
By: Ron Edmondson
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 2 Corinthians 5:16 NIV

If Christ died for us, and if we now live for Him, then our view of others has to change. No longer do we see people through the world’s eyes, but since Christ now lives within us, we see others through the eyes of Christ. Wow, that will change your perspective!

Some people are difficult to love, aren’t they? By the standards of this world, we often have categories for the people we encounter. Some people are more acceptable than others, when we approach life from this world view. I recall preaching recently at a nearby jail. As I preached to the men on the other side of the bars I was humbled to remember that God loves them as much as He love me. I began to reflect on some of the things I have done wrong in my life, and yet how wonderfully God has accepted me.

Thankfully God has a forgetting heart. The Bible says He throws our sins into the “sea of forgetfullness”. God has allowed us, however, to remember the sins He has forgotten. I think He does this so that we will never forget how gracious He has been to us.

When we consider God’s grace and mercy applied to our lives, how can we not look at others and apply the same forgiveness? How can we not look at them through the eyes of Christ?

Dear God, help us today to apply the principle of grace to those around us, to see others through Your perspective, and help us to love and forgive as we have been loved and forgiven.