JESUS mission on earth was to improve oppressed lives and make underprivileged people whole again. He went on self-imposed crusades to announce new things that could happen to people who accept new spiritual choices. It will not be an overstatement to say that JESUS was more interested in others’ lives than they were in themselves. That statement is so because He lovingly delivered more life-enhancements to people, than they asked for. He made Himself available to heal blindness and lameness. He mended broken hearts and healed diverse sicknesses. His central theme was to impart wellness in people’s whole spirits, souls and bodies. He went out of His ways, not to gather crowds but to do good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil. Christian LOVE is found in how a believer goes out of his or her way to HELP another, especially when it is not deserved.
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:38 (KJV)
Before He exited our physical realm, he handed over the baton to disciples and followers who were called Christians because of their generous and selfless ministry ACTS. The example of JESUS shows that True LOVE is a self-driving mission to help those who were once downtrodden by life’s negative forces, but then needed compassion and not further condemnation. JESUS followers are meant to be known by similar Christ-like ACTs that help-others-become-WHOLE-again, and not by mean-spirited back-biting, below-the-belt underhands, that take others down again.
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:34-35 (KJV)
We need more Christ-like JESUSes in our streets today, than we need material-world-focused church-goers, who are more impressed by ritualistic weekly activities, than by measurable, transformed whole lives. We need such Christ-like manifesting sons and daughters of God who will help us enjoy more LOVE in LIFE and more life in LOVE.
“And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:17-19 (KJV)
Below are excerpts from the book – WHAT LOVE IS, WHAT LOVE IS NOT By Olanrewaju Elujoba
- LOVE IS SPECIAL ATTENTION PAID TO AREA OF SPECIAL NEED
“And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.” 1 Cor. 12:21-25 (KJV)
One of the reasons that many relationships are breaking up is because mates see special needs in their partners that they do not like. Many quit relationships for that reason. However, Love does not just criticize areas of people’s lives that are disliked, that are discouraging or that are publicly un-presentable. True Love bestows solutions-intended focus on those disliked areas or issues and it seeks to clean them out and make them more acceptable. True love seeks to undertake “surgery” on need-areas. True love bestows more laser-focused-attention, spiritual Life and transforming power of God, to such special areas. In other words, True Love is a “nurse” that takes very good care and makes attempts to help fix another’s observed faults and weaknesses.
- LOVE IS ENGAGING SPECIAL WASHING & CLEANSING OF WHAT IS DISLIKED
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church” Eph 5:25-29 (KJV)
Marital love requires regular and constant cleaning and washing of “spots”, “wrinkles”, and “blemishes” of a spouse or whoever is in need of it. It requires taking special time and effort to nourish and cherish one another. Though the scripture in Ephesians five quoted above places emphasis on husbands to wash and clean the wife, a wife cannot afford to sit back and do nothing in return either. Wives should also meet their husbands’ needs by nourishing and cherishing them too. That husbands were asked to love did not mean that wives should not love husbands back. Even Christ, the husband of the church, desire love, worship, and praises from his bride, the church. God, also as “husband” of the church, always desire to receive glory and honor from acts of worship conducted by the Church too. It is however important that people in all types of relationships should learn to wash and cleanse one another regularly.