The 3rd Secret to Life is LOVE God and everyone around you because God is love. However, it’s truly one of the best-kept secrets of all time. I say this because there is so much animosity and downright hatred in the world today. A life without love is a life that will never truly be happy, at peace, and fulfilled.
I can tell you from experience that until you truly understand the 3rd Secret to Life and start living your life by love you will never find lasting happiness, peace, and fulfillment. You may think that you are happy, have peace in your life, and are fulfilled, but I guarantee that without living by God’s commandment to love you will have nothing that lasts.
If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. Deuteronomy 30:15-18
For most of my life, my love was confined to my wife, daughter, family, and close friends. God was not on the short list. I had respect for God, and a dose of fear, but love did not really enter into the equation. Certainly, I never thought of God as being defined by love. I never thought of God loving me and his commandment that I release that love to all others around me.
With other people outside my circle of friends and family, I did not think in terms of love. In fact, I more often looked for the bad rather than the good in people. I actually use to look for people to screw up so I could just shake my head in disgust. That’s what you do when you have a strong dose of self-righteousness like I had for most of my life. It’s impossible to look eye-to-eye with others and love them. You look down on others, especially those who you think are less “perfect” than you.
Fortunately, understanding that God is love, and calls us to love, has changed my whole perspective on life. Yes, there are certainly times when my ability to love is tested.
We have two exits from the church parking lot, both on to a very busy street. It is almost impossible to make a left turn, let alone simply make a right. Last week I made a right turn out of the farthest exit and then stopped in front the other exit to let cars out. The person behind me was so indignant that he not only blared his horn but after 20 seconds actually passed me on the right shoulder, almost causing an accident with a car exiting the lot. Yes, I couldn’t believe what he did but what flashed in my head was that is exactly what I, Mr. Impatient, would have done not long ago.
It’s sometimes hard to love. Those are the times when I think about how much God loves me, regardless of what I have done. The ultimate judge and power does not judge and lord over me. He loves me and simply expects me to do the same with everyone around me. There are no exceptions.
Our lives are on firm footing when we live by love. They are on quicksand when we live in any way but love. You may not be drowning now but it is only a matter of time if you are not living by love. Moreover, the more you struggle, the quicker you will go under.
One of the most important Secrets to Life is understanding that God is love and that he expects us to live our lives by love. Trust me big time with this one.
LOVE! Why? Simply because God commands it. And you’ll find yourself happier, at peace, and fulfilled in the process. Not a bad deal!
The Real Secrets to Life™ 