I’ve been thinking about love. We
are commanded to love God and others. Matthew 23:36-40 “Master, which is the
great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment and the second is like
unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
The bible holds a beautiful definition of what love is. I
Corinthians 13:4-7 “Charity [love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth
not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself,
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth
not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all
things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
Where does love come from? Where do
we find the root of love? I believe that true love (agape love) comes from God,
the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:12-21 “For we commend not
ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye
may have somewhat to answer them which glory in your appearance, and not in
heart. For whether we be beside ourselves [insane], it is to God: or whether we
be sober [of sound mind], it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth
us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And
that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves,
but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we
no man after the flesh; yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet
now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,
and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in
Christ’s stead [on behalf of Christ], be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made
him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made righteousness of
God to him.”
We are to love God in mind, body and
spirit. We are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ the way we love
ourselves. We know what love is and that love comes from God, God is love. We
supposed to love people who hurt us and use us. Matthew 5:44-45 “But I say unto
you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye
may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to
rise [shine] on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just [those
who do good] and on the unjust.”
There is no doubt. We should be about
love; not selfish, not self-seeking, not self-important, but filled with the
spirit of God. Galations 5:22-26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering [patient endurance], gentleness, faith, Meekness [power
under control], temperance [restraint or moderation in feelings, thought and
actions]: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have
crucified the flesh with the affections [passions] and lusts. If we live in the
Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory,
provoking one another, envying one another.”
When we become born again and filled
with the Holy Spirit we have no need to dwell on our past. Romans 8:1-6 “There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus [who live in
union], who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh: That the righteousness of
the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but
they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally
minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Nothing can separate us from the
love of God. Romans 8:34-39 “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died,
yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also
maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword [war]? As it is written, For thy
sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
How
magnificent love is! God is love!!!
