L O V E
That word has been bantered about, dragged through the mud and perverted in a way that we hardly recognize what REAL love is.
Chocolate hearts and long-stemmed, red roses.
Hallmark sentiments singing “love” songs as we open a card.
Dinners with linen napkins and candlelight.
Now don’t get me wrong…all of the above are thoughtful gestures of love. But let’s get past the Valentine’s Day expression of love and peer into what God-kind of love is.
That LOVE is agape love.
A G A P E
From ancient Greek, it is the concept of self-giving love that gives without demanding or expecting re-payment.
It is the God-kind of love.
And, since this is God’s kind of love, thee only way it can come into our life…is through a relationship with Jesus.
1st John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, FOR GOD IS LOVE.”
What glorious truth! Agape love describes the character and heart of God. He is so rich in compassion and love, that it can be used to describe His very being.
G O D I S L O V E
Most, when thinking of the word, love, are not thinking of true love, the God-kind of love. Instead, they think of Valentine’s love; the “feelings” kind of love; the emotional, the mushy, “have-a-nice-day” kind of love that values being nice more than wanting what is really best for the other person.
W A N T I N G W H A T I S B E S T F O R T H E O T H E R
That’s LOVE. Real LOVE. Agape LOVE. God-kind of LOVE.
When Jesus finished washing the feet of His disciples, we might have expected Him to summon them to come and wash His feet. After all, He had just washed 24 grimy, dusty, dirty, stinky feet! But that is NOT what He did. Instead, Jesus said, “If I then as your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” John 13:14
That’s AGAPE. That’s wanting what is really best for the other person. And this God-kind of love will lead to practical action.
“Has anyone offended you? Seek reconciliation. “Oh, but I am the offended party.” So was God and He went straight away and sought reconciliation. So you do the same. “Oh, but I have been insulted.” Just so: so was God: all the wrong was towards Him, yet He sent. “Oh, but the party is so unworthy.” So are you; but “God loved you and sent His Son.”
Now go and do accordingly. (Charles Spurgeon)
God puts His agape love into our lives so that it might flow out. Now go and do accordingly…
