Being in love can make us quite fanatical and the “high” it gives, can sometimes lure us into believing that we know what love truly entails. Most adults I believe, can testify to falling in love at least once with the belief that their love was so strong, it was without condition. Our love comes under scrutiny when the conditions that once made it thrive no longer exist.
The truth is we all love conditionally but we are often too self-righteous to admit it. We may love someone because of how they made us feel or because of the history of time and experiences shared. We may love someone because of the things they do for us or because they meet our emotional and financial needs. Some persons fall in love when they are intellectually stimulated while some cherish sexual compatibility. All in all, people love when they feel supported in the good, bad and ugly. If we were to eliminate all those self-appeasing conditions, however, the feeling of love would fade very quickly.
It is critical that as Christians, we do not allow the world to define what love is for us. God is the only true source of love and in the economy of His kingdom, it is impossible for us to have love if we do not have Him.
God’s love does not feel like butterflies and it’s not about giving us our every wanting desire or need. God’s love is steadfast and enduring; it is slow to anger and flourishes when we take heed. God wants us to experience true love and when we do, we will experience Him. It is only when we have encountered the limitless love of God, we can move on to hate the love of this world which is sin.
Extract from an article (Sin and God’s Love) found on Jesusonline.com writes:
“Human love is fickle. It gives up if pushed too far. It wants to be paid back. Human love sulks when it doesn’t get its way. It seeks to stop the sin before it will embrace the sinner. It often whitewashes sin, or calls it acceptable, before it will befriend a sinner. At other times, human love, for fear of being labelled intolerant, comforts the one trapped in sin while ignoring the underlying sin itself.
But God’s love is an unchanging reality. It is truth. God hates sin. He hates sin because it destroys the people He loves. God hates sin, but He loves each and every sinner. And as we embrace this truth, it begins to change us from the inside out”
We play hard ball to love Christ who laid down His life for us, but for others we justify the love they deserve. For many, they believe love is a treasure that can be dutifully earned. The world teaches us that love is a feeling, however, God shows us that love is a commitment and it’s never about self. Loving those who love us warrants no reward and negates the price Christ paid on the cross; for us he overcame death.
Today, we stand reminded that we are nothing, if God does not dwell within our souls. To know love, we must first know Him because the true test of love is not a feeling but how obedient we are to His Word.
SCRIPTURE:
John 14:21
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
