What is your vehicle’s passenger capacity? If you have a mini-van or large SUV, it might can squeeze in 8 people total. If you have a sedan, you might can squeeze in 5 passengers. Okay, so what is your love capacity? How many people can you love? Your spouse? Children? Siblings? How many people do you have the capacity to love?
If we are to love like Jesus, Jesus has the capacity to love the whole world! 1 John 2:2 says: [Jesus] “Himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of the whole world.” And of course, we know what John 3:16 says. Jesus even said in Matthew 5:44 “I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” I believe this is so important for us to be reminded of. So often it feels like there is a struggle for Christians to even show love for other Christians. Or at least treat one another with respect and kindness. To show mercy. To forgive one another. To treat each other the way we would want someone to treat us. That’s in the Bible too. But Jesus calls us to so much more! He calls us to love like He loves. And the only way we can do that is if we have the Love of Jesus inside of us. And most importantly, to have Jesus inside of us and for us to be in Jesus.
If we are having problems having patience, showing mercy, exhibiting kindness to those who are “easy” to love. How can we love our enemy? The point is, there is something wrong with our relationship with God if we can’t show love to those “WE” should have the capacity to show love to. Because God calls us to have love for those we do not have the capacity to love…without HIS HELP. So we need a REVIVAL of love in our hearts. In 1 Chronicles 4:10 “The prayer of Jabez” he prayed: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. And God can do the same for us. “Enlarge my territory” could definitely be “enlarge my capacity to love”. And Father, help us not to have evil in our hearts so we do not cause others pain. Instead, we pray Father, that You help us to bless others out of the overflow of revival in our hearts! Father, help us to love like You love! I can only do that with Your help LORD. Amen.