Love

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, NLT).

We love each other because he loved us first (1John 4:19, NLT).

And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers (1John 4:21, NLT) .

You can’t give anyone something you don’t have or haven’t received, yourself.  Fortunately, the Scripture, John 3:16, informs us that we have been made the recipients and beneficiaries of love given by God to all humanity in the person of Jesus Christ.  The type of love I am referring to is God’s love that is based on an act of His or our will.  It’s a love not founded in feelings, physical attraction, beauty, or personal appeal, but a love that directs, constrains, and inspires us to follow the example of God toward those with whom we are in contact.

This type of God-love causes us to behave in a manner that benefits the person we confess to love.  In other words, when God gave His son for our need for reconciliation and redemption, it was because we needed help not God.  This love is not selfish but selfless, prioritizing the needs of others ahead of our personal desires where possible and appropriate.  We can do this for each other because God loved us first.  That means I can love my spouse, family, friends, and acquaintances so that it blesses them and assist them in acquiring their needs and wants. God has commanded us to love our fellow believers if we say that we love Him.

First Corinthians 13:4-7 tells how this love performs in practice: Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proudor rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance (NLT).

The point I want to make is that this God-love is first received from God and is, then,  activated by an act of your will.  When you decide that you want to share the love you received from God, God, Himself, will provide the empowerment and ability.  He will not force you or work His love through your life unless you volunteer to be His ambassador of love to your world.  It’s your choice to love God’s way with His enablement and inspiration.  I challenge you to share the love you have received from God with those closest to you first and then spread it everywhere else you go. (Adrian)