There is a saying that ‘no man is an island’. From the beginning, God designed and hardwired us for community and relationship with Him and the people around us. Through communities, we live out our Christian calling to love.
Where does love begin? Love – that unselfish and unconditional emotion that drives us to our knees in worship, to forgiveness when broken, and to give to others beyond where common sense ends.
The Bible tells us we love because God loves first. Our love flows from God’s bottomless well of devotion for us. He initiates the relationship He wants with us, drenching us with His love as He adopts us as His children.
Love is God’s supreme attitude, so much so that God sacrificed the Son to achieve love’s purpose (John 3:16). It is our inseparable bond with God, and through that love, to each other for timeless eternity. If you look for love, look at Jesus Christ. In Him, the love of God appeared (Titus 3:4).
As God’s children, Christians are called to express agape and phileo love. Agape leans towards love not earned but lavishly given. It is sacrificial, the love of a mother for a child, of God for sinners. Phileo is brotherly love, kindness, sharing, and affection. Jesus summarised all the teachings of the Old Testament teachings into two commands: love God, and love each other as we do ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). To love God and others fulfills the intentions and purposes of every part of God’s law.
We worry when we can’t love others as told to us in the greatest commandment – to love Him and to love others. We can’t do this on our own. But God loves us with an everlasting love.
After the birth of the Church, in New Testament times, Paul wrote of the power of that love (1 Corinthians 13). Love is the greatest of all of God’s gifts. It is patient and kind. Love is full of hope because it fully trusts the loved one. Its value exceeds hope and even faith. Love persists when all else fails. Among all that we treasure, God’s love is supreme.
The power of God’s love within us fuels our love when human love is running on empty. He plants His love within our hearts so we can share Him with others. We draw on His endless supply.
Love starts with God. God continues to provide His love to nourish us. God surrounds us with His love. We live in hope and draw from His strength, all because He first loved us.
|Share The Good News|
Leave a Reply