Learning to Love Out of the Box

Jon 1:1  Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Jon 1:2  Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
Jon 1:3  But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

Php 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Transforming Power Statements:

1) It is easy for a fallen human being to choose not to obey even, God if His request is contrary to their deep inner feelings, as Jonah chose to do in order to evade the command of God to share a message of repentance of their wickedness to the people of Nineveh (whom Jonah despised) which pressed Jonah into action to as it were turn away and go to another place rather than to the people God had commanded him to.

2) The product of this mindset is generated by selfishness, self-righteousness, and an inner twisted bent we have to see people we do not like suffer rather than to see them healed, even though it was needful for someone to minister to us at a similar time in our own lives when we needed grace to be aligned with God’s love and will for us; which is the exact opposite of the way Jesus chose to do for us in the process of doing all He had to satisfy His Father to make forgiveness possible for whosoever believes in Him.

3)  Therefore, in order for us to follow Christ Jesus’ ways it will be necessary for us to learn to “love out of the box” or so to speak so that we can do that which is right from God’s perspective as we have been commanded, observing Jesus’ example in order to glean appropriate motivation, wisdom, strength, patience, endurance, and any of the other endless facets of the precious jewel which is Christ our LORD, Who alone has satisfied God on our behalf.