His Love Is Where We Start

1 Corinthians 13:13 “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.” ~NLT
 
It is easier to love when love is shown. For example, we receive a gift from a loved one and it is THAT gift we always wanted. Here, our love is easily pulled from inside and shown out. But it becomes harder to love when love is not shown to us. This is an extension in many situations. For family, it leads to communication shut down. Arguments and sometimes fights. Long term, family members go years without talking or communicating.
 
It is easier to withhold any signs of love when it comes to strangers. Especially if they do not show love first. But Jesus gave us a command, “…love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other…” Take note, he didn’t suggest this. He didn’t ask us. He commanded us to ‘love’ each other. Yet, we do not. We say “…love you…” a lot. But do we really mean it or do it? Especially the way He loves us.
 
Wait, maybe that’s it. Maybe we don’t know how much Jesus really loves us. This is important because there is a measure of faith in the understanding of love as it pertains to Jesus loving us. You see, there is no way we can have any substantial love for anybody until we understand His love for us. Let’s take a look at it.
 
We are all sinners, who have fallen short of God’s glory. Yet, the Father loves us so much He wants us to have a chance to enter the kingdom and be with Him. So, he assigns the mission of ‘sacrifice’ to His One and Only Son, so that our ‘sin debt’ can be paid.  Jesus takes this mission, walks it, endures it, and has victory in it. His love is shown through the pain and suffering on the cross for a lost people. A lost people that God has claimed as His children. This is the love that needs to be understood by us all before we can even comprehend ‘how’ we are going to love in the type of world we live in today.
 
Our Savior’s command should be carried out with full intention and passion. And as our relationship with Him grows, that genuine gift of love from us will show God in our hearts. This love can then be used by Him to heal others who cross our paths, whether they show love or now.  The command from the savior should be followed in every situation we encounter because that is the will of God. Anything other than that will aid the enemy and his cause.
 
If you need a guideline, then read a few verses before our text above starting with verse four, “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs.” Verse 8 says, “Love never ends…” Everything else may have an expiration date, but love does not. It endures all. So let us listen to our Savior who has sacrificed for our eternity in heaven and invest our time into what is eternal. Love, because He first loved us.
 
May God keep and bless you as you journey in Jesus’ name,
 
Amen

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