We as humans tend to take the word love and use it very lightly. We throw it around like it's nothing. We love ice cream, we love pizza, we love everything. Love also has a very significant meaning to us as humans. When someone that we love tells us that they love us, it makes us feel really good. It's one of the most meaningful things someone can tell us.
1 John 4:16 says: "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."
We as Christians are commanded to be like God. Therefore we are commanded to love because God is love. We need to love!!! Christians are noticed for their unconditional love towards others. However, Christians are also often noticed for their lack of love towards others.
Here is a passage that talks about how important living a life of love is to a Christian.
"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."
~1 Corinthians 13:1-3~
WOW! isn't that harsh! If we have mountain moving faith but not love we are NOTHING!!! If we give all we have to the poor but not have love we gain NOTHING!!! Without love, we are NOTHING! It's really sad to me how Christians are often noticed because of their lack of love. Our biggest calling is to love. We can't be living the life God calls us to if we don't love others.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
~1 John 4:7-8~
God calls us to love one another because love comes from God. The love that we are commanded to have for others has much deeper meaning than the 'love' that our culture throws around for everything. It is an unconditional love. It's the love of God!
Check out this passage:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails....And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
~1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13~
The passage above defines the kind of love that we are supposed to have towards others and. We are called to love unselfishly and unconditionally and totally devotedly. If our love lacks any of these characteristics we are not loving the way that God calls us to.
Loving others is soooo important! Do you know what the Bible says about people who claim to love God but don't love others? Check this out!
Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. 1 John 4:20-21
If we claim to love God and hate others the Bible says that we are a LIAR!!! It says that we we do not love others we cannot love God. Wow!!! This is why God calls us to love others above all else! If we love God we must also love others!
You might be thinking: "is it even possible to love others like this? is it even possible to love everyone? YES! it is!
Jesus is the perfect picture to represent love. He was human and he fought the same thoughts and temptations we did yet he was able to love everyone unconditionally! so much that he was willing to DIE for us!!! He had such a sacrificial, committed, self denying love for us that he was crucified to save us from our sins. We need to love like Jesus!!!
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.1 John 3:16
Loving others is soooo important! We need to love like Jesus loved! Happy Valentines Day!!! Love you all...:)
No comments:
Post a Comment