7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? ~ Isaiah 58:7
When we remember what Jesus did for us. And when we recall what happened to Jesus by His own submission and by His own obedience, on our account it is then that we learn to love. Because what happened to Jesus was not happenstance, it did not come as a surprise or against His will, but instead, it was completely and thoroughly planned out before the foundation of the world.
The Godhead knew that man would fall. The Godhead knew that we would rebel against Him. But still … God so loved the world … And Christ so loved the Church … And that is where we take our queues from. That is where we learn what true love is and how to love.
See, True love requires us to give of ourselves. And sometimes, An Acceptable Kind of Love requires us to give even when it hurts… even when pain is in the offering, still we give because that is what love does. That is how love operates.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love Like Christ.