Sincerity of your Love
If I could say what is one of the biggest missing features in our relationships today, it is sincerity. If I could say what is one of the biggest threats to the people of God stepping into full obedience of the work of Christ in their lives, I again would have to say sincerity is at the top of my list. As a person in a leadership position, I often have to ensure that what I am saying, doing, and living is marked with sincerity. If it isn't, then everything I am doing is missing a key component of love, and I should just go do something else.
I am drawn this morning on this "Tremendous Thursday" to the amount of humility it takes for us to increase in the sincerity of our love. It's odd that this is almost a product of maturing and growth instead of an initial result of a life that has experienced the renewal of the Gospel. False sincerity seems to be a status quo in many encounters in life because of the difference between obligation and regard. When we feel obligated to offer our attention, time, or resources, then sincerity is the last thing we are able to produce in the exchange.
"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10
The alternative is to follow in obedience to the love of God through the teaching of love in Jesus to regard others more highly than ourselves. Why is this so hard, trying, and causes us to roll our eyes and shrug our shoulders like my twelve year old when I ask them to take out the trash? Because it causes us to address the focus of our love to no longer stem from the natural epicenter, ourselves. We literally block our own ability to regard others, especially those most different than ourselves, and practice sincerity of the heart.
Yet, when we encounter someone who has been reformed and renewed by the work of the Spirit of the Lord, we can't help but notice the sincerity of their love. We feel cherished, cared for, attended to, and regarded. We know they have limits but we also can trust that there is an effort to demonstrate love that doesn't come from selfish or insecure motives. They operate out of divine reason for patience, kindness, goodness, etc.
The gut check in this entry is to ask ourselves with a sober mind to tabulate the amount of insincere actions we have taken that we have tried to mask as the real deal but were motivated for our own needs verses serving others with a growing, willing, and soft heart. How can we bear in mind our thoughts and actions that communicate real devotion to God looks like the sincerity in our love?
Who perhaps or where in our day to day can we identify the needs of our greatest opportunity to grow in sincerity? How can we see that if we don't make efforts, offer prayers, and surrender our insecurity, it is us that is actually blocking obedience to be devoted to God and to others? It is risky to love, but it is far more difficult to maintain hate and self love. Make the tremendous step to be a person full of sincere love.
Keep Looking Up!
