Leading with Love

Unconditional love requires us to sacrifice our lives and give up control. Jesus modelled this for us as He asked for the forgiveness of those who tortured and killed Him. He went around preaching and meeting the needs of the people through healing, provision and care. Today as followers of Christ we have been conditioned to preach Law and not unconditional love. Many don't realize this.

When we seek a certain response to the Gospel we add conditions to our love. We do this when we ask others to make professions, attend classes, come to our church or other such things in order to complete the requirements of our Gospel. Many have just created a new Law to follow in order to show others they believe in Jesus. I am discovering that the Good News will take care of itself when unconditional love leads the way. We do not need to add requirements to the Gospel. God is the one that calls and completes His work in people. All of us are incomplete in that regard.

My Gospel must be firmly rooted in what Jesus did for me. As it says in 2 Corinthians 8:9 - For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

This Gospel of unconditional love is what changed my life. This is what compelled me to leave the life I had built and do what I now do every day. I am so compelled by the unconditional love and sacrifice of Jesus that I must follow in His foot steps. I must give up what I had in order to go to those who had little that they might know Him and through Him become rich. Some will accept this Good News and others will reject it. It is not up to me what you do with the unconditional love of Jesus. It is up to me to offer it sacrificially and unconditionally.

Dr. Terry M. Goodwin