Purposeful Living: Love like God loves

A summons to love from God’s perspective

Mat 22:38-40 This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. (39) And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. [Lev. 19:18.] (40) These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Beloved reader, the greatest commandment given to New Testament saints which sums up the Law and the Prophets (the OT) is LOVE. This is the key to victorious and purposeful living. The disturbing thing is that in my estimation, many people have an unbiblical view of love. Some do not have an adequate grasp on God’s definition of love as shown in the holy writings. Others think love has to do with feelings so when they feel like they are “not in love” any longer they divorce their spouses, friends or churches. But true love is much bigger than feelings and whatever we do on earth that is devoid of true love actually counts for nothing in eternity and before God according to the following verse…

1Co 13:1-3
IF I [can] speak in the
tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong
or a clanging cymbal. (2) And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose),
and
understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am
nothing
(a useless
nobody).
(3) Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain
nothing.

Beloved, ALL our spirituality is NOTHING without LOVE. Anything we do that is not motivated by love is rubbish and has no eternal value or substance. I do not know about you but honestly, I do not want to be a useless nobody before God as pointed out in verse 2. The key to avoid being a useless nobody is to love like God according to the 1Cor13 standard. This is an act of grace that can only be accomplished through the work of the wonderful Holy Spirit in our innermost beings. Love is a fruit of the Spirit that we must all learn to cultivate (Gal 5:22).

In the kingdom of God, we live by a different set of rules and standards—different from the world’s standards. The world has a standard for love but so does the Kingdom. Which of these do we exhibit in and outside church life?

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”—(John 13:35)

The Greek word that Apostle John used in this scripture is agapē. Agapē distinguishes believers in Christ from non-believers. Non-believers are incapable of this kind of love because it’s supernatural and enabled by the Spirit of Christ who himself is Love.

Being nice is very good but it is no substitute for loving. Agapē is that the distinguishing mark by which ALL people will recognize believers as followers of Jesus. Why? Because Jesus who is God (Jn 1:1) is Love. The proof that a person has agape is that they are comfortable with practicing a 1Cor 13 lifestyle

The 1Cor 13 standard

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. (5) It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. (6) It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. (7) Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. 1Co 13:4-8

I realize that physically speaking, the 1Cor 13 standard looks impossible so some years ago I asked the Lord, “how can any man love like 1Cor 13 which is the standard for ALL saints. It’s beyond human…the bar is set too high?” His response was lovely. I should have known better than to ask such a question because I know through the scriptures that I am not a human. I am part of a new creation which supersedes the former. But God being the patient Father that he is responded by giving me Gal 5:22. He said, love is not a physical phenomenon as some think. Love is supernatural and it is a person. Love is God (1Jn 4:16). 1Cor 13 are the attributes of Love. This is the nature of God. To manifest Love is to manifest God himself. Can we honestly say we manifest God to all people we come in contact with? Can all Christians honestly say, 1 Cor 13 is how we live in church and at home—with all people?
If not then that is why some may feel unloved at times. I honestly try to love like this. Sometimes, I succeed. Other times I fail and get back up and try again. I know that I have not arrived so I press towards the mark of the High calling to Agape everyone I meet.

In the world system the loudest people and the physically strong are sometimes seen as the toughest but in the Kingdom, the toughest are the true lovers. This is what set Jesus apart. Only love could enable him to do what he did for us. To some of us, for a man to allow himself to be stripped naked, beaten, spat upon, ridiculed, paraded through the streets and eventually crucified is weakness. If I allowed that to be done to me for a fellow believer today, someone will doubtless laugh at me and call me weak. So in Jesus’ day, he was laughed at. But it was the greatest show of strength the UNIVERSE HAS EVER WITNESSED. It was agape or love in action. Let us love one another with agape i.e. the Christian standard of love. How ? By recognizing that love is a fruit of the spirit and to manifest it, we must submit to the beautiful Holy Spirit in us in order to bear this fruit. If we are afraid that agape will let others take us for granted, the guess what? We are the ones who have fear and hence are not perfected by love.

Perfect love is in your reach

English Standard Version
(©2001)
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Agape is perfect love. It alone casts out fears and insecurity and its available today, right now for the born again believer whose body is a temple of God.

Warning:

All good deeds + spirituality – true love = nothing

There is a very sober warning given to ALL believers in first few verses of 1Cor 13 which lets us know the importance of love in all we do. Some people think that their good deeds by themselves are a ticket into God’s graces. Others feel like their spirituality is the most important thing in their world. The first few verses of 1Cor 13 shows us that all our good deeds and spirituality minus love equal nothing. Spiritual activity in the absence of agape counts as nothing before God.

The ‘seemingly’ bitter side of Love

Love has another side which many people know about but are not comfortable with. Love is not always lovey dovy, soft and sweet. Love is sometimes bitter because it comes in the form of a rebuke or correction. God calls it chastisement. We must learn to realize that this too is love i.e. agape.

For the Lord corrects and disciplines
everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. –Heb 12:6

Hence from the scripture, if God does not EVER punish/correct you, that may mean He has not accepted you as His child. Most people might not love this aspect of agape but it is necessary for growth in Christ. Even nature teaches us that too much sweet stuff is bad for our overall health. There needs be moderation and balance. Occasionally people complain that there is no love in a church because they were corrected or disciplined by a pastor, leader or friend. According to Romans 13 all authorities are ordained by God. This includes Pastors and leaders in Church. And they have a mandate to correct God’s people as directed by scripture and the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 27:6 also says that wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. The one who is being corrected (metaphorically wounded) may interpret correction as a lack of love from the pastor, leader or friend but this may not be necessarily so. Love comes both ways— sometimes in the form of a complement and other times in the form of rebuke depending on the situation. God only chastises the ones He loves. If He never chastises (prunes) you, you are either perfect already and need no growth or not born again i.e. part of His children. Pruning makes room for better growth. God’s rebuke is not hard. Its similar to what He gave Cain in Gen 4:6-7. It’s a rebuke to turn from a bad habit or a wrong direction so that we may have the good life and ALL may be well with us. God’s Correction results in growth and fruitfulness.

Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit. –John 15:2

God does not only correct those with faults but He also corrects/prunes those who are bearing fruit so that they can grow even further and bear much more fruit.

The balance

I must balance to necessity to correct or prune with the fact that there is a biblical laid down protocol to correction, rebuke or discipline of a fellow believer. We must follow this biblical model or we may end up hurting each other. Jesus mentioned the protocol in  Matt 18:15 and Paul added extra advice in Eph 4:15.

The problem is that some of the correction is done by men (be they friends or leaders) and sometimes in their zeal or pride, they may take correction or rebuke too far beyond the limits prescribed by scripture and the Holy Spirit. If there are any such “abuses/excesses of correction”, do not hold a grudge, learn to forgive and keep serving Christ in His body. No one is perfect yet. We are all being matured to the fullness of the stature of Christ. Forgive them that hurt you just as your father has forgiven you for all your wrongs. Bless all readers and have a blessed week full of power and significance.