GreaterSample

WE ARE ALL ONE

Freedom, of course, isn’t free. It comes at a huge cost to the person fighting for it, and the fuel that gives them that energy and motivation to fight, most times to the death, is love. In our country, we have the freedoms that we do because our armed forces throughout history have given their lives to establish and defend them. As Christians, we have the freedoms that we do because Christ’s love for us was so strong He chose to lay down His life for us. What if, to really experience the freedom Jesus died for, we have to love others with the full strength of the love He had for us? God created all the pleasures of earth for us to enjoy, but peace and joy aren’t just automatically guaranteed. If we love something, we give everything we have to it, and we enjoy freedoms in return. If we love the unlovable, the outcasts, the ones who are totally different from us—spiritually, mentally, physically—we look out for them, care for them, and gain the freedom of joy. If we forgive others as willingly and wholly as Jesus forgave us, we gain the freedom of peace. If we treat others as well as we want to be treated and give to them generously, we gain the freedom of thankfulness. Love others radically, without an agenda, and without needing anything in return. Love them without trying to control them. Love people with the unfettered unity we all have in being united with Jesus and His love will shine through your life. Love fuels freedom. If you want to live freely, love freely.