“Beloved, let us love
one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and
knows God. He who does not love does not
know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us,
that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” I
John 4: 7-11.
John tells us that we are commanded to love one another and that
this is true agape-love that only Christ can give us. If we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, then that type of love
is available to each of us. Unfortunately, although this agape love has been spread in our own hearts (Romans 5:5), it sits there stagnant and inactivated. Love then becomes a theory with no practical
life application. The scripture above tells us the essence of love and how to
live it out practically in our daily lives:
First,
love is to be shared unconditionally, many times with those who do not deserve
it. God loved us first when we were still
His enemies so we must do the same for our enemies.
It is not difficult to love those who love you. The true test comes when we love someone that
may seem unlovable. When we find the
God-given courage to love someone who speaks wrongly about us, spreads gossip
about us, and has betrayed us, that is the special kind of agape-love to which
John is referring. This kind of love
also includes loving the stranger or person that we do not already know. I remember I had a boss who was harsh with me
and always seemed to point out all my faults instead of praising my
strengths. After a while, I began to
feel angry and bitter towards him. I was
very close to quitting my job, but God, in his ever gentle way, reminded me that I was
to love this man as His word said. I
felt prompted to pray blessings over him daily (Luke 6:27-28).
At first, I couldn't do it because of all the anger within me, but I
began to speak the words anyways although they were empty and insincere. Lord, I
bless this man’s life, his job, his family. Pour financial blessings on his
life. May you promote this man and allow
him to reach success beyond measure. Each
day was a struggle to say those words because I didn't feel it, but I somehow
found the strength to pray those words anyways. Little by little, I began to
feel a change take place within me. My
heart became soft as each day I began to feel the words I was saying. After about two weeks, I actually meant the
words that I was praying over this man. I began to
forgive him and actually enjoy my job.
To add, I began to see God bless his life and promote him on the job. Our professional relationship improved and
we grew to have great respect for each other. He was one of the best bosses I ever had and I learned so much from him for my future jobs. We have to remember that love is
not a feeling. Feelings come and go. Love is a commandment and something that we
can make ourselves do because it is God that does it through us. You may be trying to love a spouse that seems
unlovable through your own efforts, but you have been approaching it the wrong
way. Allow God to fill you with himself
and you will quickly realize how much easier it is to love them even with all
their flaws. You may be struggling with
a neighbor who has an issue with you, but allow God to give you agape-love for that
person. If you want this kind of love,
but have not accepted Christ as your savior, then call on the name of Jesus and
accept His word and commandments in your life so that you too can be filled
with the agape-love that allows you to love others unconditionally.
Next, Love is to be sacrificial as it gives
all of itself for the benefit of another.
God gave Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our sins. We too must give sacrificially.
If it’s not costing you anything, then it
isn't love. If love comes easy for you,
then it’s not a sacrifice. A sacrifice
will cost you something. In our relationship with Christ, we give our
wills to Him, our time, our finances, and everything else. It is often no different when it comes to
loving others. I will note that if you don’t live in relationship with Jesus
Christ, you won’t be able to love others with the love of Christ. We can only
love from what we have been given. Your
well must be full in order to give others a drink from it. Trying to love on your own effort will leave
you ineffective and emotionally drained.
God has way more capacity for love than we do so we must draw from him
in order to be effective. I find myself
often saying how much I would love to give to others by volunteering or doing a
special task for a person in need but often talk myself out of it because of
time and money constraints. God finally
convicted me by reminding me that true love will cost me something and that’s
what makes it sacrificial.
So this is the essence of Love. Take some time today to reflect on how you
can live out love unconditionally and sacrificially. Don’t be afraid to take small steps of
faith. The other day, I was admiring a man
who gives of his money and time to do events for underprivileged families. His entire life is about giving and showing
love. He gave up his entire preaching
ministry to minister in the neighborhoods and reach needy families. My brother, seeing this desire in me commented that I don’t have to
start big, but start by doing something simple such as taking groceries to a
single mom or visiting an elderly person.
He’s right. We must start small
and allow God to do something great with our lives through his powerful love.
