Fashionistas from New York to Shanghai monitor trends. Today maxis are out and minis are in. But whatever the trend, we must start with the basics. So it is with living out this new life we have in Christ.
We begin like everyone else: trying to satisfy ourselves. It is a “love of self for one’s own sake.” Then, reality hits and forces us to consent that self-satisfaction doesn’t work, which points us to God for comfort. This is the “love of God for one’s own sake.” Gradually, we fall in love with the Giver Himself, not the gifts, as we experience the “love of God for God’s sake.” As He reveals just how loved we are in Christ, we enjoy a holy “love of self for God’s sake.”1 Confident of our eternal belovedness, we sincerely desire to love God and others as He loves us (John 13.34, 15.12).
But how?
Start with the basics.
Get your heart set.
After settling the issue of belovedness, we can truly surrender to God and increasingly trust in Him. Shifting from self-reliance to God-dependence, we find everything we need for life (2 Cor. 3.5, 9.8; 2 Pet. 1.3).
Get your head set.
Because God’s love is setting us free, we can truly desire to have the same outlook on things as Christ. Through humility and mercy, we begin to align our daily activities with His purpose of seeking and saving things which are lost (Matt. 9.36; Luke 5.16; Phil. 2.5-8).
Get your hands set.
Love is your heart’s passion. Seeking the lost is your mission. Now, your vision is set: engaging people through the gifts and abilities God has given you so that He may be known and glorified (1 Pet. 4.10-11).
Let all the Christian trends come and go. Clothe yourself in divine love. This is a “specific, special kind of love: unselfish, unlimited, and unconditional,” says Dr. Ramesh Richard. To learn more about it, check out here.
