We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
There is much talk these days about love. Many use the word “love” interchangeably with other terms, like “tolerance” and “acceptance”. These terms may very well be part of what naturally comes when you love, but it is not all there is to love. There is so much more.
1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. God is the truest example of love that can be given. If we look at the example of love God has given us, we must go back to the Garden of Eden, where He first created man in His image. He desired to have companionship with His creation. Even after mankind failed miserably with the one task given to him, God still made a way for His creation to have communion with Him. There was separation, as long as sin was in the picture, but He always made a way for us to be back in fellowship with Him. At first it was through sacrifices and priests and direction for holy worship. Finally, there was Jesus.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
Creation was God’s initial act of love to mankind. He made mankind, but He also made the earth for our survival and our pleasure. Much like we, as parents, try to make everything perfect for our little bundles of joy to come into the world, God made everything perfect for His creation. Then came sin and separation, but God promised to fulfill an act of love so great that we are still awed by its compassionate manifestation even in this present age. He sent His Son to die a gruesome death in order for us to continue in communion with Him. There is no greater love, as Jesus, Himself, stated so emphatically.
Nonetheless, Jesus did not die in order for us to continue in sin (Hebrews 10:26; 1 John 3:6). He lets us know, through His word, how wrong and sinful things will affect our lives, not only while we walk this earth, but when Eternity comes. The commandments He gives are not grievous or burdensome (1 John 5:3 and Matthew 11:30), but they are given so that He may give us a life more abundant (John 10:10). God understands we will be tempted, and 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that “with the temptation (He will) also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”.
So, I am concerned that so many people are making light of the use of the word “love”.
For many, love is simply the acceptance of actions or the tolerance of unseemly behavior in order to maintain harmony in relationships and interactions with others. Acceptance and tolerance are not the full depth of what real love is. It doesn’t even scratch the surface. God gives us free will, but with that free will there are consequences. With or without repentance, we may have to face the consequences of what we partake of on this earth, but God is always ready and willing to welcome us back in His arms with a love that can only be understood when we have fully given our life over to Him. He does not hug us and tell us that we are doing a good job while living in a sinful state. On the other hand, He also does not beat us over the head for doing the things that He considers to be sin.
He simply allows us to “be”.
In the end, what we have been on this earth will be reflected in an account that will be given of our life. God will have the final say in whether or not we are being merited entrance into Heaven or into Hell, but He gave us His word to give us a good indication of how to “be” in order to enter into or avoid either. Whichever ticket you are granted will not be a reflection of how much God loves you. He loves us all the same, regardless of who we are or how we behave. He may have allowed for us to live contrary to His word (free will), but it will not change what is required to enter His city.
That is why I fear that many people do not realize what love really is. In fact, the “love chapter” of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, doesn’t really correlate with modern society’s ideas of love. The chapter describes love as long-suffering, kind, hopeful, not being easily provoked, and not insisting on its own way, among other things. Love recognizes that the recipients of its gift may not always act in a way that is deserving of it, but it endures those wrong actions, always hopeful for the truth and the right to prevail.
Jesus came to live on this earth as a man, to walk among filth and depravity, to teach us how to truly love. He touched the hands, the eyes, and the hearts of people who followed Him.
I mean, He physically touched them.
He didn’t just preach about love, He manifested it, one on one with people who had no hope. He defended the helpless by standing by them when evildoers tried to do them harm. He reached out and touched them after He called away their accusers, and He showed them a better way. When He touched them, they were not already living perfect lives. They were often sinners, but His influence made them to want to change. They wanted to leave behind their sinful ways and to follow a better path. Jesus didn’t sit behind a screen with a cup of coffee and donuts and begin typing away His sermon about how the Pharisees and Sadducees were corrupt, or how people need to be more accepting of the lifestyles of the people he came in contact with. He met the people in the flesh and in person. He touched them. He wiped away their tears, and He gave them a reason to hope by turning away from their sinful ways and showing them the light of life.
This is love, and it is no small thing.
Day of Small Things 