God is love. (1 John 4:8)
If you completed the title of today’s word of encouragement with the word ‘LOVE’ then you probably remember the song of the same name made famous by the British rock band Queen back in the late 70’s.
To be sure, there are more songs sung about love than any other topic. Why? Because we were made for love, by the God of love. But what is love? Ask five people and you will get six different answers. So, we must look to the only One who can give us the right understanding of love, God Himself. The Greek language supplies us with four different words to capture the meaning of this all-important word: Storge (emotional bond between family members); Eros (romantic love rooted in physical attraction between men and woman); Phileo (attraction and affection through friendship); Agape (willful self-sacrifice even when the object of love is undeserving or unappreciative). The one most often used in the New Testament is agape, the highest form of love.
When the Bible speaks of agape love, it is pointing to God in Christ who “came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). This love is sacrificial. This love is willful. This love is intentional. This love is a choice. Perhaps the best way to describe this kind of love is it is totally other-oriented, seeking not the greatest good of the self, but for the other. Agape is built upon the foundation of faithfulness, dedication, and self-sacrifice with no thought of “what’s in it for me!”
When we read “God is love,” we are to understand God’s love as simply part of His character. God’s love is not emotional or sentimental. It is simply who He is and what He does and He does it to those who deserve it not. And because we are loved in this self-sacrificial way, we are to reflect this kind of love to others . . . all others . . . even the unlovable. We don’t get a vote. We are to love because God first loved us. This is not something we can do by nature. We are way too sinful. But when God in Christ raises us from death to life, we now have the capacity to love as God commands. As disciples of Christ, we can now love others as we have been loved by God.
So, how are you doing with this crazy little thing called love? Would those who know you best say it is agape? Do you love others in a self-sacrificial way or self-serving? Remember, when you draw nearer to God, you will experience more of His agape love toward you, which will empower you to return it back to Him, through all those you come in contact with.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 