Tag: Love

Freedom? – Galatians 5:13-18

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” — Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

Earlier in Galatians 5, Paul is dealing with a real problem in the early church. There were people telling new Christians that following Jesus also meant following all the old Jewish laws and rituals. Paul pushes back hard on that. ‘You have been set free,’ he says. ‘You don’t live under that anymore.’ But then he immediately pumps the brakes on where that logic could go, because freedom from the Law doesn’t mean freedom to live however you want. It means something better than that.

The freedom Paul is talking about has a direction to it. It points outward, toward the people around you. Instead of using your freedom to chase whatever feels good in the moment, you use it to love the people God has put in your life. Radically, humbly, in ways that don’t always make sense to the world around you. That’s the calling. Paul is clear that the Holy Spirit is what produces that kind of love in us. It doesn’t come naturally on its own.

There’s a real tension in this for me personally. On one hand, I know what it means to be freed from sin and given new life. On the other hand, I don’t always live like that freedom has anything to do with the people around me. The call to radical love can feel heavy, or honestly, it can feel intimidating. There are people God puts in my path every single day, and too often I hesitate. Not because I don’t care, but because there’s a quiet fear that gets in the way.

That’s the thing though, fear doesn’t belong to someone who has been set free. Paul isn’t describing a timid, heads-down kind of Christianity. He’s describing people who are so secure in what God has done for them that they can turn around and pour that out on others without worrying about what it costs them. The freedom we have in Christ is actually freedom over that fear too.

So this week I want to keep my eyes open. Not in a forced or awkward way, but just paying attention to the people God has already placed around me and actually engaging with them. The opportunities are probably already there. I just need to stop hesitating and start showing up.

Love – Colossians 3:12–14

Colossians 3:14 (NIV)
“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Paul’s opening words in this passage carry significant weight. When he refers to believers as “God’s chosen people,” he is intentionally drawing on language that Israel would have immediately recognized as covenant language. This is not a doctrinal statement, but a declaration that all who belong to Christ—Jew and Gentile alike—now stand inside God’s redemptive family. Elsewhere, Paul describes this reality as being grafted in.

From that identity flows a visible way of life. Paul lists qualities that are deeply relational: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. These are not personality traits reserved for the naturally agreeable; they are evidence of a life shaped by grace. Jesus himself tied forgiveness directly to love—those who understand how much they have been forgiven are transformed into forgiving people. These virtues are not separate achievements but expressions of a single root.

That is why Paul culminates the list with love. Love is not merely one virtue among many; it is the binding force that gives coherence and unity to them all. Without love, these qualities fragment into moral effort or religious performance. With love, they become a reflection of Christ’s own character. The Christian life, then, is not primarily about self-improvement, but about being steadily reshaped by an ever-deepening awareness of God’s love and forgiveness.

The call of this passage is straightforward but demanding: remain focused on love, and allow everything else to flow from it. As Christ continues his work of transformation, the aim is not to become impressive, but to become more like him.

Forgiveness – Colossians 3:12–17

Colossians 3:13 (NIV) – “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

In Colossians, Paul paints a picture of what Christians are actually supposed to look like. Kindness, humility, patience, and forgiveness are not optional traits for us. They are markers of a life shaped by Christ.

Above all of them sits love, which binds it all together and creates real unity among believers. Forgiveness is a natural result of biblical love. Unresolved grievance destroys that unity faster than almost anything else.

This passage is a reminder that forgiveness has to be intentional. It does not happen naturally, and it is often difficult. But Scripture is clear that forgiveness is not a side issue in the kingdom of God. It is a priority.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Christian forgiveness. Refusing to hold anger and bitterness is biblical. Handing someone the keys after they repeatedly crashed my car is not. Forgiveness releases guilt and resentment. It does not require ignoring real results of our actions.

If I want to live in a way that reflects Christ, then forgiveness and love cannot be theoretical. They have to show up in real relationships, even when it costs something.

Show Love – 1 John 4:7–12

1 John 4:9 (NIV)
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

Love is the central issue John is addressing here. Not feelings, not romance, and not vague goodwill, but a love that has a source and a definition. God is the origin of that love, and He made it visible by sending His Son. John is clear that people come to know God, not through arguments or religious performance, but through the way His people love one another. Christian love is not self-generated. It flows out of what God has already done.

What strikes me is that this passage does not really change based on time or context. If I believe that God loved me enough to send His Son, even when I did not deserve it, then that love has to move outward. It cannot stay theoretical. It is not only something to be believed, but something to be lived.

That means love should shape every interaction I have with people. Not just by talking about God’s love, but by showing it through patience, kindness, and grace. I fall short of that constantly. I am human and sinful. Still, this passage calls me to try, to let God’s love be seen through me, even when it is inconvenient or undeserved.

Put on Love – Colossians 3:12–17

Colossians 3:12 – “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

This passage reads like straightforward instruction, and in many ways it is. Paul lays out what a life shaped by Christ should look like, not in abstract terms but in everyday behavior. Forgiveness stands at the center of it. Being forgiven by God while refusing to forgive others simply does not fit within the way God works. Love, gratitude, and forgiveness are not optional traits here. They are commanded because they reflect the character of Christ himself.

What strikes me is how closely thankfulness and forgiveness are tied together. People who are thankful tend to be more generous and more patient with others. They are usually easier to be around. I want to be that kind of person. The challenge, of course, is that this is often hardest with the people closest to me. This passage reminds me that Christlike love does not stop at the edges of convenience. If I want to live in a way that reflects Jesus, then forgiveness, gratitude, and love have to show up consistently, especially at home.