Christmas Love

A week from today little ones will be arising early, and I mean early, to unwrap their gifts.  Yes, we get a little carried away here in America and do a good deal of spoiling and sometimes we even run the risk in our love for them of putting a bit too much emphasis on gift giving rather than THE greatest of gifts in Jesus becoming flesh that first Christmas.  That being said let me speak to love misguided and true love.

We’ve all heard of tough love and for many of us this is tough to practice. We want to exert only “positive” love, if you will.  Parents find it hard to properly correct or listen well to what they are saying to properly render  judgment, sometimes we fail to understand where they are and come off a bit harsh expecting them to be perfect when they nor we aren’t.  When we fail to deliver a just consequence or are inconsistent in the parental role we aren’t really showing a proper love but building their insecurities.   But God’s love is always right.  Sometimes His Word encourages us, or convicts, or He even chastens us but it’s all for our benefit  because God IS love !    Even His leaving heaven’s grandeur to be born in a lowly manger and live in a sinful world as a human bespeaks His great love for it was FOR us and undeservedly so.  He full well knew what lie ahead for Him yet He saw our need: “He came unto His own and His own received Him not.” (Jn.1:11). This is love !!   Take a cue from it today, do what is right with compassion for those you love.  Treat them as you would like to be treated, love them as God does no matter what wrong they may do for God died for them and all their sins just as He did for yours !