Sincere Love

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” ~1 Peter 1:22

Two words jumped out at me in this passage: ‘Obey’ and ‘Sincere’. Why? they both give me negative vibes. ‘Obey’ brings the connotation of rules and laws, rather than grace and the word ‘sincere’ always meant the opposite to me - hypocrisy and pretend.

Since they are intertwined with love here, I knew I had to change my perspective. The original language of the New Testament, Greek, is so important - this is proof! ‘Obey’ actually means ‘to hear and be influenced’. Peter was writing to the Christians who had fled to other cities to avoid persecution and encouraging them to remember the truth they learned about Jesus Christ, the message of love.

So how does ‘sincere’ fit in? The definition is the same today: ‘without hypocrisy or pretense’. True, honest and pure love. The love of God that is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It CAN’T be fake if it’s God’s very own love.

Why do we have to distort things? Maybe it’s just me. I shudder as I remember, “I sincerely wish the best for you”, thinking, “No you don’t, you hate me and would rather see me crash and burn”. I’ve learned today that I must let that go. Forgive and forget. And sincerely love them, only by the power of the Holy Spirit. There is freedom and peace there. Thank you, Lord.

Have a blessed day!

Bonnie
Blessed Be Boutique

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