Faith Hope and Love

Sunday evenings we study Mere Christianity by CS Lewis in our Guys Bible Study. This week we covered three very important chapters. They were entitled Faith, Hope, and Charity. We spent most of our time discussing charity, and our discussion followed along these lines. I began by asking the guys what the word charity meant. The only answer I received was, giving to the poor or needy. While this may be the modern accepted definition of charity, it is not the sense in which CS Lewis used the term. He sees charity as the virtue of Christian love toward others.

What are God’s expectations toward us regarding love? We all know the golden rule, “do to others has you would have them do to you.” What’s interesting is that Jesus requires even more. He instructs us to love our enemies as well as our neighbors. Christ wants us to love people based upon their value as bearers of the image of God, not based upon their appeal to us. I can hear the murmuring begin, “that’s not easy to do, especially when some people are just unlovable.” For Lewis this excuse will not do. He makes it clear that we shouldn’t bother trying to conjure up fond feelings toward someone. That is a useless proposition and it doesn’t help us fulfill Jesus’ requirement. Instead we should ask ourselves “if I loved them, what would I do for them?” Then go about doing those things. Our love begins to compound, and soon you’ll find nothing but fond feelings toward the person.

This truth is vital for Christians to be able to live out the Gospel. Not only in dealing with casual acquaintances, but also with family members and even spouses. If you want to love someone, act like you do.

The same principle also applies to our feelings for God. Throughout your life you will have seasons when you don’t feel as though you love God. Concentrate, fast, pray, and plead with yourself to love God more and you will not obtain what you desire. Instead, think for a moment about what you would do for God if you loved Him. Start doing those things, and soon you’ll find yourself loving God more than you could have imagined.

Are you feeling distant from someone right now? What have you done for them lately? What would you do for them today if you loved them? Now get busy, but keep in mind the proper reason for doing this. It’s not to gain appreciation or praise from the person. God says love them because I loved you, don’t expect a pat on the back, or you’ll be disappointed when you don’t get one! Do it to please God and your reward is secure.