Matthew 5:44-47

44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

The words of Jesus here shows that we as christians are expected to show love beyond the ordinary. Beyond the way the unbelievers do it. Unfortunately, we find ourselves as christians wallowing in selfishness. The question in verse 47 is very important - what are you doing more than others?

When you render help to only those who are related to you or to those close to you, what are you doing more than others?( the pagan, unbeliever etc).

When someone not close to you or even a stranger doesn't have money for transport or food and complains to you do you assist him even from the little you have or cry and complain more than him? Yet if its someone close to you, then you quickly assist with the one you have. What are you doing more than others?

In a traffic jam, someone from a street by the corner or from an office wants to join the queue and everybody is driving bomper to bomper so that the man doesn't find space to join in front of him, do u join the crowd to deprive the man of the space to join the queue? What are you doing more than others?

In a place where something is being shared, you luckily got an extra. Then later discovers that the thing didn't go round, do you give out the extra you got to someone who didn't get or do you keep it to yourself and count it as your blessings? What are you doing more than others?

Do you pray only for those close to you and your church members? Do you pray for other churches? Do you pray for your neighbours? What are you doing more than others?

Do you go extra mile to provide solution to a problem when it has to do with a stranger or someone not close to you just as you ll do to someone close to you? What are you doing more than others?

You have millions running in your account yet you cant point at people outside your family that you ve helped train in school or set up in business. What are you doing more than others?

You are in a position in an office. You ve used your position and connection to get jobs for your family members but when its another person then you have lots of frustrating excuses to give. What are you doing more than others?

The story of the good samaritan was the story of a man who rendered help to a stranger. He showed love to the magnitude that Jesus expects and of course he was commended by Jesus.

The list is endless. People can add more. We keep learning everyday.

The attitude of an average christian towards each other and towards people of other religion or belief in the society raises a question as to whether we are actually practicing love as Christ taught us. May God help us all. Amen.

@alexleo,
Love is in our hearts, only if we remove the foreskin and allow the soft flesh to be worked on by God.
Love is not in mere words, love is sacrifice, love is a decision, love requires effort most times but we have the grace to love, if only we use it.
It is when a heart is full of love that perception changes.

Love:
+ endures long and is patient and kind;
+ love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy,
+ is not boastful or vainglorious,
+ does not display itself haughtily
+ is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride);
+ it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.
+ (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking;
+ it is not touchy or fretful or resentful;
+ it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. + It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
+ Love bears up under anything and everything that comes,
+ is ever ready to believe the best of every person,
+ its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].
(culled from 1 Corinthians 13)

^ wise words.

the op is confusing love with works.

tpia@:
^ wise words.

the op is confusing love with works.

How? Is love seperate from what I wrote? The examples I gave there all boils down to the selfishness in us. Should love be selfish? No. Infact, the original title I wanted to give it was "selfishness amongs christians" but changed my mind to make it a love issue which I believe has connection with the examples I gave. Her points are a theory of what love should be and its okay. What I did was just to bring our day to day life into the picture. So if we should go by your submission, the story of the good samaritan that Jesus told in the bible is just about works and have nothing to do with love? And of course I said its a whole lot of list and that people should add theirs. Cheers.

read 1 Cor 13 and pay attention to the first three verses, i think that answers your question.

tpia@:
^ wise words.

the op is confusing love with works.

Not really bro, the bible says faith without works is dead. This is a problem with many in the Christendom today, we claim to have all these virtues n yet live contrary n bear contrary fruits. What is in the heart will definitely show with time, 'cos a good tree cannot bear bad fruit n vice versa.

Still the truth remains that it start from within (heart) according to 1Corinthians 13, but it also manifest in the way we live daily. Just as it is said "U can give without loving, but U cant love without giving," though giving itself doesn't show love per se, but when u truly love u give selflessly, so our daily living (works) shows what is really within.

@tpia,
By their fruits we shall know them. @alexleo simply showed examples (that many do not even consider). So many talk about love but forget love takes effort, it takes patience, it takes faithfulness, it takes a LOT OF WORK! but Jesus helps us. Good works are an expression of love and it grows with experience and exercise. Jesus is the only one who can help us love truly for the bible says that even the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

I love @Pastor Olu T's comment. You can give without loving but there is no way you can love without giving. It works pari passu. God loved then He gave...

tpia@:
read 1 Cor 13 and pay attention to the first three verses, i think that answers your question.

Yea you are right. Someone can give out something or do good works just for the show of it but it does not rule out the fact that we can be inspired by love to do good to others. We can't take away love from what inspired brethren in the early church to sell their lands and goods and brought the proceeds at the apostle's feet to be shared in common.

Verses 4 and 5 mentioned love as being patient, kind and not seeking her own(not selfish). Sure you can't take away these three things from the issues I raised. A child of God who has the love of God in his heart will definitely act differently when faced with the issues I raised. The issue here is to point out certain attitude we display that shouldn't be seen in us as children of God who are supposed to show love. Its more of going practical here than theory. Some of those things we do them ignorantly and may be because of the Nigerian factor. I ve listed my own which boils down to selfishness. It doesn't mean that my points are all that love entails.

Alwaystrue: @alexleo,
Love is in our hearts, only if we remove the foreskin and allow the soft flesh to be worked on by God.

@Pastor Olu T,
You really hit the nail on the head. God bless you.

@Alwaystrue,
I understand your points and they are good too. God bless you.

Its a discussion forum where we share knowledge, experiences and ideas so everybody's input is welcome. This is how we improve in life. We ve argued much about hell fire, tithe, pastor did this and pastor did that. Its also good we go into issues concerning our day to day life as individuals which is the purpose of this thread. May God help us to live a selfless life as Christ did. Amen.

You borrowed money from someone and promised to pay back at a giving time, when the time came, you didn't pay rather you started playing on the person's mentality by telling lies upon lies. Meanwhile, at the back, you are making huge expenses on things that ll benefit you. The debt payment that will benefit the other person is not in your priority list. And you are a christian. While Jesus ensured his disciples cleared their debts, we sometimes give little or no priority to debt clearance even when we can task ourselves and clear it.