Love

“Liking is a feeling, but loving is a verb. Falling in love is an emotion, but being in love is an expression. Holy love will find a way to genuinely demonstrate itself to others. The old telephone advertisement used to say, “Reach out and touch someone.” Holy love reaches out and touches people in our personal relationships (friend and foe), in our civil relationships, with those in authority, and in all our societal relationships.”

Borrowed from the Wesley Bible Curriculum; Lesson 12, November 17       

Having just come off working a Great Banquet weekend, I have been reminded once again of God’s AGAPE love. I think of it as wholly giving of oneself without conditions or expectations.

The internet, via Google’s Artificial Intelligence, summarizes Agape Love as:

“In Christianity, agape is used to describe the love of God for humans and the love of humans for God. It is considered the highest form of love and is contrasted with eros (erotic love) and philia (brotherly love). In the New Testament, agape is used in John 3:16 to describe the love that moved God to send His Son to redeem the world. 

Some characteristics of agape love include:

·        Unconditional: Agape love is given freely, even in difficult times, and is not dependent on reciprocity.

·        Selfless: The provider of agape love gives without expecting anything in return.

·        Kind: Agape love is filled with kindness and wants only the best for the other person.

·        Accepting: Agape love accepts others unconditionally.

·        Sacrificial: Agape love involves sacrificing for the good of the other person.”

God’s love is certainly all of that and more! We are loved beyond our imagination! God’s love is proven throughout scripture, the stories of humankind’s failures and God’s redemption over and over and over again.

And, then a little over 2,000 years ago, God sent His Son in the form of an innocent babe. The gospels of Luke and Matthew are the only gospels that include the story of the birth of Christ. The below is taken from Luke, Chapter 8:

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’”

God’s perfect and giving love … “a Savior” … “he is the Messiah, the Lord”. God was personified in the person of Jesus, a babe in the manger. The perfect Gift; our Redeemer has come! Jesus exemplified Agape Love like no other “person” could or ever will. Jesus came with two simple commandments. When He was asked what the greatest commandments were, Matthew 22: 37-39 tells us that Jesus answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

In giving us these commandments, Jesus was teaching us what our Agape Love is to look like, and it is wholly giving of ourselves to God and others. We should be spending the whole entirety of our lives by doing nothing more than trying to follow these two commandments: “Love God, Love Others”.  When we get up in the morning, we fix our eyes on Jesus and devote every single moment of the day to Him, whether you’re washing dishes, heading to work, going to the grocery, completing a spreadsheet, fixing a meal, or doing the laundry! Colossians 3:17 teaches: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” If we do that, we can’t help but be in Agape Love with God and others! 

God’s love, however, is undoubtedly on a whole other level from our imperfect human love. As we learned from John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  Those words say it all. Because Jesus died for our failures, we have been given eternal life. It is the ultimate example of God’s Agape Love for us. Of this, we can have no doubt. Our faith saves us.

And, so I close with my Christmas wish for you, that you and all of your loved ones may take into your hearts Paul’s words in Ephesians 3: 16-18:  ^“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” 

And, may it be well with heart, your mind, your being, and your soul. Merry Christmas!