To be bold is to do without hesitation, fear or care of what someone else may think. To love boldly is to live like Christ, without restraint as he loved others.

In these times, to love boldly as instructed by God (Mark 12:31) isn’t witnessed on a daily basis. We can love boldly by loving as Christ loves us. In watching the news, people on the streets, and even when driving, I often wonder where did love go. Folks criticize each other, even when they can’t or are unwilling to do what the person did; some don’t hold the door open for others, oftentimes allowing it to slam in the face of another, folks cut you off on the road or when you let them in, it isn’t recognized by a wave of acknowledgement, some physically or verbally assault someone in retribution of a minor mistake, etc. Gossip, backbiting and brown-nosing for position runs amok in the church and in our workplaces. What’s going on? Are we so caught up with what is going on in our lives at the moment that we forget to love?

How can we love more? By humbling ourselves and serving others. Loving boldly is giving out of our lack; it is being courteous to our brother or sister in the street; it is being kind to the cashier, even when the person before held up the line; it is keeping our word; it is holding inside what is confidential; it is honoring our commitment; it is forgiving our brother, even when they’ve sinned against us many times; it looks like giving someone we don’t like a helping hand; it is speaking truth, even when it may sting the receiver; it is confronting our offender with resolution in mind; it is loving unconditionally those dearest to us…our spouse and children; it is apologizing to the one we’ve wronged; it is not seeking revenge.

Love comes in many forms. To live like Christ, we love the young lady who dresses inappropriately in the street, instead of judging or criticizing, we pray for her. To live like Christ, we don’t despise those afflicted with disease, addictions or mental illness. Instead we help, not enable, them as led by God. To live like Christ, we accept people where they are in their spiritual walk, not making them feel bad because they don’t know what we know. To live like Christ is to love others. We might not like the behavior, but we are not to scorn them based on it (we all fall short in some areas of our lives). To live like Christ we seek understanding, placing ourselves in the shoes of another; showing compassion instead of mocking. To live and love like Christ we submit to God’s authority over our lives, allowing Him to direct our ways, at all times.

Romans 5:8 states, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

So what shall we do then…love as he first loved us. What does loving others look like for you? What say you?