Limitless Love - Derksen

This weekend I heard a new concept or at least, for me, a new way of describing an old idea...loving without limits. Most people have no problem loving their spouses, their children, or their parents. We love a friend and that causes no dilemma. In fact loving those who love us is easy. It's loving the unlovable, the disgusting, and the stranger that gives us cause for pause.

When we try to love someone who does not reciprocate the affection, someone who is in desperate need of a bath, or someone who continues to make poor life choices, we tend to justify. We look for reasons why loving that person is impossible, not only for us but for everyone we know who is civilized and a 'good Christian'.

Loving without limits opens the door for possibilities. There is no room for justification because there is none. Christ was clear. We are to treat the stranger as if he were Christ himself. The Lord tells us to meet them where they have a need and He does not tell us that there are exceptions.

Loving without limits...such a thought. Do you mean I have to share a meal with a drug addict? Are you saying that a drunk who is in need of a place to sleep is someone I should love and even provide him a pillow for his head? And even more scary...what about that writer I meet at a conference who thinks they are a better writer than I am, who is vying for the attention of the same publisher, editor, or agent that I am?

Loving without limits means that whomever God places in my path, I am to love, to fufill their need and I am to show them the same love Christ would show them if He were standing in my place. For some, we will be the only Jesus they will ever see. Are you ready? Look for the adventure of whom God wil bring into your scope off influence.

Barbara Ann Derksen, writer and speaker, rides with Chritian Motorcyclists Association, sharing her faith and ministering to bikers. What opportunities has God placed in your life and will you love without limits?