“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NET)
As we bring the Advent season to a close, we come to the theme of Love. This can be such a widely used and misunderstood word, but we are going to be looking at the example given by God in regard to love. Let’s dig in.
The Most Important Command
In Deuteronomy 6:5 we are told to “…love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.” The essential aspect of our Covenant with the Lord (covenant means a binding agreement) is love! There is nothing more important to God than for us to understand His love for us and that we would love Him. This is why I say that Love is primary, because there is nothing more important to God in regard to us. Notice how I repeated that? It’s because I really want you and me to understand that there really is nothing more important to God than us understanding His love for us and for us to love him (uh-oh, I did it again, I better move on!).
Jesus reiterates this truth when He was asked by an expert in the religious law, a Pharisee, which was the greatest commandment. Here is what He tells him in Matthew 22:37-38, “Jesus said to him, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
Later He tells His disciples that there is a “new command” that He wants them to operate out of from now on. I am sure this is when His followers were like, “Yes! He is going to tell us now the secret to what gives Him such authority and wisdom, such insight and direction, such compassion and power, such grace with people!” Here is what Jesus tells them in John 13:34 (NET): “I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
I don’t know for sure, but I wonder if this was in any way deflating for them?? Love? “This is the secret, new, command. No, this is the same thing that You have been saying all along. How is this new?”
Jesus knew though that love is the single greatest force in the universe! Love changes everything. Love is primary! He Himself is the express image of the Father’s love for us, and for those of us who know Him as our Savior we are the express image of God’s love toward others around us. So let’s take a quick look at the way love takes shape in our lives.
What Love is and is not
For this we need to look at the text that describes and explains how love should be expressed in each of our lives, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Read this slowly and examine yourself as you do.
“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NET):
Love never ends…”
There isn’t much I am going to say about this text because I want you to read it and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal which of these characteristics are present and which are lacking in your life right now. It is important for us not to see this as a condemning exercise, but to see it as a way for us to fulfill the greatest command that Jesus gave us to live out- love! We all want to know that we are living our lives in accordance with how Jesus wants us to, so use this text as the primary tool in building the characteristic of love in your relational toolbox!
The Christmas season is great for helping us to slow down and reflect over the past year in order to see how we conducted our lives and what we need to improve upon. So I hope that this post will encourage all of us to look into ourselves and ask the question of how well we are loving God and others in our lives right now. If we are deficient in this are then we need to begin with reminding ourselves of how much we are loved by our Father in heaven, because we will not be able to give that which we do not have inside of ourselves.
If you do not know the love of God for yourself, I really want to encourage you to read the book of John in the Bible and familiarize yourself with the love of God shown through Jesus to you! Not only the entire world, but to you!! Then invite Him to be Lord of your life, to become your Father and to adopt you as His child.
John 1:12 says, “But to all who have received him—those who believe in his name—he has given the right to become God’s children”. Also it says in 1 John 3:1, “(See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called God’s children—and indeed we are!…”
So, know the love of God for yourself and be the love of God towards others, and you will be carrying out the primary command that our Savior gave us in this life! I hope and pray that your Christmas season is full of joy, peace, and above all – love!
God bless you!