Better TogetherIhe Atụ

THIS IS REAL LOVE

The teachings of Paul in Romans 12:9-17 show how deeply he knew and understood the teachings of Jesus. As Christians, life is lived better together, but it is vital that we understand these biblical instructions on living authentically with others.

The passage opens with; "let love be genuine" Love without authenticity isn't actually love at all, but a facade. Authentic relationships take time and effort – you can't expect a deep level of friendship overnight or if you're not willing to put in the hard work that builds trust. It's like that classic quote; "anything good takes time".The same can be applied to authentically loving relationships.

As you continue to read through the passage in Romans, you should start to become aware of the thought that is being taught; in order to maintain long-lasting, life-giving, deep relationships, you can't be focused on living only for yourself.

Loving with a genuine love means taking off the mask, and removing the facade. In a society that is drowned in social media that only shows the highlights in life, as humans, we've become so good at maintaining a facade in life when it comes to how we're really doing. Trust takes vulnerability! Perhaps, we need to get better at deliberately investing in relationships, building trust, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, and making room for grace, yes even for people's faults (as we want others to do for us)?

We have all seen people give up on a relationships simply because they hit a bump in the road.It is unrealistic to expect those you're close with to be perfect all the time – don't look at them just in terms of what they can offer you, invest in helping them grow into Christlikeness."Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." (Romans 12:12)

In the same way, know that not every relationship will have a deep level of vulnerability. It's important for us to recognise where each of our relationships lie. All of your relationships should be authentic, but not all of your relationships will have the same depth of vulnerability.We should, however, as Christians, adhere to scripture as Paul writes; "Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them." (Romans 12:9, NLT).

DAY TWO ACTION POINT - Look into joining one of our church HUBS.They provide a great opportunity to meet great, like-minded people, encourage each other, help one another grow, and invest into authentic relationships.

PRAYER - Thank you Father, that You are the perfect example of real love. Holy Spirit, create in me a clean heart; a heart that has the love of the Father. Reveal to me my shortcomings, and guide me as I seek to become more like Christ. Lord, bring people into my life for genuine, authentic relationship. Friendships that would encourage one another towards the things of God and that would glorify You. Thank you Lord that you are always with me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.