Love Without Expectations

Life is hard.

People are harder.

  It’s not what you get out of and from others.  It’s what you give and how you pour out your heart.

Friends are benefits; bonuses.  You don’t serve God with expectations.  You don’t stay up till midnight texting a desperate soul, or show up on doorsteps with gifts, to gain friends in return.  Serving others is something we do because we love God.  He knew we’d break our hearts and marvel at the unreciprocated love and devotion we find.  But broken hearts are beautiful.  God can only use the broken.

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." - Psalm 51:17 

  I think of Jesus.  He loved me a billion times more than the most devoted lover ever could.  Yet I betrayed Him, repeatedly.  He never gave up on me, though.  He pursued my heart.  He loved me with His entire being.  He breathed out the wind and shook the earth with thunder.  He dusted the mountain top with snow – trillions of intricate, unique shapes and spirals – and swirled the oceans to form waves.  He did that to get my attention.  He sang me a love song in creation and gave me every flower on earth.  Because He loved me.  He literally gave me the world.  Yet I ran from Him and betrayed Him.  And still He loved me.

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." - 1 John 4:9

  My job is to reflect the image of my Savior.  To do that, I must love with all abandon and expect nothing in return.  I must love even when I am betrayed or ridiculed or despised.  There is a never an end.  I cannot say, “I will stop loving you if you don’t reciprocate in x amount of years.”  It’s not algebra; there are no variables.

  I have been forgiven much; therefore, I must forgive much.

"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." - Mark 11:25

  I have been loved much; therefore, I must love much.

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." - 1 John 4:11

  We aren't promised an easy road.  We are simply asked to love and serve God with everything we've got.  Love without boundaries.  Love without expectations.  Love without end.

To listen to People Need the Lord (Grace Notes), click here.

To listen to The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus (Grace Notes, click here.

Re-post from November 14, 2018