Love is such a crazy concept isn’t it? You could ask 100 different people what comes to mind when they hear the 4 letter word, and all 100 of them could picture and respond with something different. So then I ask (as Tina Turner once did), what’s love and what’s it got to do with it (our Christian lives) ?
Sometimes we treat those that we love with the most contempt.. we stop doing the things we used to .. stop showing them that we truly love them and even force them to question our love & commitment to them.
Not so, with the agape God kind of love. The reckless love that God showed to the world when He gave us His everything (John 3:16) while we were still in a state where nobody in their right mind would have been willing to cry for, never mind die for (1 John 5:18). Have you ever truly thought about this? You (yes, YOU) meant so much to God even when you were a sinner that He was possessed with joy to go to the cross for YOU ! (Hebrews 12:2). WHY YOU ASK? Easy …
Because HE LOVES US ! And in God’s mind, this is what love demonstrated looks like: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
What’s so beautiful about God’s love is that He cares enough to show His love to us daily (Psalm 68:19), never wanting us to second guess whether He still loves us or not. He constantly reminds us that He loves us, that we’re the apple of His eye, that He thinks good thoughts about us daily and that His arms are always wide open for us to run into! THIS is the agape kind of love, which NEVER fails! And let’s be honest, the reason we love Him is because He first loved us. When you feel God’s love, there’s no other choice but to respond…. because LOVE, REAL LOVE, never has and never will, FAIL!
The thing is though .. if LOVE truly is an action that God not only demonstrates toward us, but actually GAVE us the power to do, (yes, the power to LOVE – Romans 5:5; 2 Timothy 1:7); then we, as people of God have an obligation!
It’s not enough to have the love of God.. we must move to demonstrate that love, because it is by LOVE that we Gods followers will be seen & known, by others. A personal challenge to myself and to you, let’s LOVE beyond the borders we used to. Let’s pray for our friends AND our enemies. Lets bless those who curse us. Let’s remember that ALL have fallen short of the glory of God and not count anyone out of the grace & mercy of God. Let’s extend the have and heart of love to all! God says once we have been reconciled by this love, it’s our turn to become the reconciler! What is more beautiful than a reconciled reconciler?
YEM, if this Ministry can be full of the perfect love of God, there’s no bounds what this Ministry will be able to do! No matter the darkness that may surround us, the light of God will illuminate whenever the love of God does! Remember; LOVE NEVER FAILS!!!
Next time you think, or someone asks, “what’s love got to do with it?” Tell them simply EVERYTHING!