Oil and Vinegar

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony” Colossians 3:14, NLT.

When you bring oil and vinegar together in one container, they won’t mix. Not only will they not mix, but the oil will begin to float to the top. Have you ever had someone that you just didn’t get along with? No matter how much you tried, they could blink and you find yourself annoyed. Personality clashes are nothing new. They exist in the work environment, in our homes, schools, churches, and communities. On a daily basis, we can encounter people we feel are difficult to love.

When it comes to oil and vinegar, we find the only thing that can cause them to mix is an emulsifier. It is the agent that contains special compounds that wrap around the molecules in oil and causes them to bond with the water molecules in vinegar. For example, soap and egg yolk are both well-known emulsifiers. These are both outside agents that are used to bring two very different substances together. If you were to sit and wait for vinegar to produce emulsifier-like qualities on it’s own, you will never see it. If you were to sit and wait for oil to produce emulsifying-like qualities on it’s own, you will never see it. It’s not part of their nature to accomplish this end result.

Likewise, if you are trying to produce the ability to love your co-worker on your own, you’re going to get frustrated very quickly! It’s not in our own ability to love unconditionally like God. We need an outside Agent. God’s love is the great emulsifying agent we use when our love walk is being challenged. On our own, our love is conditional, pitiful, and comes with strings attached, but God’s love is strong and is the bond of perfectness. His love can bring two very different people together who wouldn’t normally get along.

When God’s love gets to working in our hearts, over time, we find ourselves loving like God loves. How does He love? Well, He loves us despite our flaws. He loves us even when we mess up. He loves us when we are having a bad day. He loves us even when we forget to pray. There’s nothing that can make Him stop loving us. It is this kind of unconditional love that is poured out into our hearts that brings us to our knees in thanks. God’s amazing love working in your heart can cause you to get to know someone first before judging them. His love can help you put yourself in someone else’s shoes. God’s love in your heart can help you be understanding, rather than annoyed. Today, He will show you more about how to love His way.

Prayer: Father God, I want to love the way you love. On my own, my love is conditional, pitiful, and comes with strings attached. But I thank you that you’ve poured your amazing love on my heart by your Holy Ghost so I can be more merciful and compassionate towards those who really could use it. Lord, help me love like you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.