Love Serve
Peter continues to break down how to love like Jesus in his little book 1 Peter chapter 3. Once again Peter filters what he writes (surely inspired by the Holy Spirit) through his personal circuitous journey.
Remember, Peter was impulsive, get it done, no-nonsense guy. I imagine his marriage was like many men you know who run their home with a “my way or the highway” fist – or abdicate spiritual leadership to their wives. Their faith is something they dabble with not something they are consumed with.
Well, Peter became consumed with his faith in Jesus, and it was a long painful process of suffering and transformation. He had a lot of rough edges.
So, another love lesson from the anvil of a man we now refer to as Saint Peter.
Where Love Begins
Peter must have been listening closely when Jesus was asked, which is the great commandment in the Law? Matthew 22:36.
Jesus responded with you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Peter learned this law of love as Jesus extended patience, forgiveness, and compassion.
Peter slowly learned to receive and be heart-changed by Jesus’ patience, forgiveness, and compassion.
Peter (I can only imagine) painfully after repeated failures and do-overs began to learn to extend patience, forgiveness, and compassion to himself. Isn’t it true we seem be unwilling to extend love in this way insisting we crucify ourselves over again?
Peter began to extend love to his wife as he learned to live with his wives in an understanding way…1 Peter 3:7
Do you see the progression?
We learn to receive God’s love.
We learn to accept ourselves and our humanity.
We learn to extend this love first to our spouse.
Love others in an understanding way. Why is this such a hard thing to do?
- If we cannot love our wives like Jesus we do not know love.
- We live with others in an understanding way because God lives with us in an understanding way.
- Living with someone in an understanding way means:
You accept them as they are. Not tolerate – full acceptance – embrace their difference. Remember your wedding vows” For better or worse I take you to be my beloved. And I In the name of God, I, _____, take you, _____, to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
- Remember it’s a partnership – not a benevolent dictatorship.
- Submit to one another
We learn this law of love when we learn to receive love completely.
We next learn to extend love AND receive love.
You see don’t you that without God extending love to you you would not have the opportunity to learn to receive.
You see by learning to extend it to ourselves we know the muscle movement required to extend it to others.
And so, we learn to love as we love God in return for loving us as we are not as we should be.
We learn to love ourselves, by extending forgiveness quickly and being patient with our progress or lack of it.
We learn to love others only if we have learned to love God and ourselves.
We are the aroma of Christ.
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