Love Is The Key to Sets You FREE!
Scripture: ‘Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.’ I Peter 3:9 (NIV)
Affirm: Love is a constant, consistent principle active in me that heals, harmonizes, and sets me free.
Dear Prosperity Partners and Friends,
How are you? I pray you have taken advantage of the varied opportunities our spiritual community has offered to launch you into the new year. From the New Year’s Eve to the Communion and Consecration Service; from the start of the Dare to Be Free lesson series to the 2023 Burning Bowl Ceremony; and from the Prayer Vigil to last Sunday’s Part 2 of the lesson, Love Is the Key to Set You Free, my hope is that you have made the decision to experience the freedom that is your birthright.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reminds us that ‘It takes strength to love’ those who don’t love us. When Jesus admonished us to love one’s enemies, he was ‘not an impractical idealist…[but a] practical realist.’ Martin L. King’s, Strength to Love.
In part 1 of the lesson, Love Is the Key to Set You Free, we defined Love and shared three (3) ways to practice loving those who do not love you.
- Love is a spiritual gift and not an emotion.
Love operates through your emotions but is not limited to your emotions. Love’s function is to heal, redeem, harmonize, serve, attract, and cooperate. Love works best when it is coupled with Wisdom.
- Love is strongest when it loves for the sake of loving; persists in the face of seeming trouble; seeks not its own, but rather seeks harmony for the whole; and is not envious, loud, rude, or boastful.
The Apostle Paul’s letter on Love is found in I Corinthians 13. It is a good idea to read his words as often as you can. Let them guide you in forming practical ways to love God, yourself, and others.
- In Part I of the lesson: Love Is the Key to Set You Free, we asked the question: ‘How do you love a perceived enemy whose intention is to harm you?’
Dr. King offers three (3) ways that you can begin to love. As you listen to his suggestions outlined in my lesson, know that the choice to practice loving others is up to you. Isn’t it interesting that King’s first step involves developing your own capacity to forgive. Listen to the lesson and make your decision to be free of hatred towards persons who oppose you or are plotting to oppose you. Again, it is your decision to be FREE of toxic thoughts and feelings toward others or yourself.
- In Part II of the lesson: Love Is the Key to Set You Free, we asked the question: ‘Why should you love a perceived enemy whose intention is to harm you?’
Dr. King offers three (3) additional reasons why it is critical to do as Jesus asked: Love your perceived enemy and do good for the not so good done to you. In the end, ‘love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend’ says, Dr. King. In other words, love is big enough to bless you when you bless an enemy. It won’t stop there. Love will also bless the one who harmed or intended harm to you. There’s one catch, and it is this: Love will do its work for you if you allow it to work through you. Listen to Part 2 of my lesson and understand why hating your enemy distorts your personality and multiplies the amount of hate in our world.
Quotes to Ponder:
‘We must in strength and humility meet hate with love.’Strength to Love, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
‘Hate destroys a [person’s] sense of values and…objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.’
Strength to Love, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
‘Jesus the Christ understood that love is the key to set both the oppressed and the oppressor free.’
Sheila McKeithen
Let’s Pray:
God of Creation,
Thanks for giving me the gift of Love that sets me free from the plots and plans of others. In humility, I exercise my right to forgive as many times as is necessary to clear my subconscious mind of every unforgiving thought and feeling. I dare to be free, and I know it all starts with me.
Thank You, God. Amen.
