Romans 13:8-14

Romans 13:8-14
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Well, Paul puts it out there plainly -- all we have to do is love one another.
  Now if everyone else would just cooperate and make it easy for us to love them....
  Pure love, the love of Jesus Christ, is capable of loving even when the object of love is seemingly doing everything possible to avoid being lovable.  Humans were busy nailing Jesus to the cross, and he was forgiving them, loving them, serving them.  This is pure love.
  So when we go out into the world, we are to strive to love.  It is done in small acts as a conscious choice, moment by moment, person by person.  It takes a lifetime to live into this type of love, and we have to keep looking to Christ as our model, letting the Holy Spirit guide and direct our words and actions, so that we might follow his example.
  We have to give up the notion that we come first.  Let us love and serve with joy and gratitude today.