Dave’s Monday Blast – May 14, 2018
Charles Stanley comments, “Love is an incredibly powerful force. It causes a mother to sacrifice her sleep, time and personal ambitions for the sake of her children. A job takes on a grander purpose when a man is working to provide for the family he loves. People have even willingly gone to their deaths in order to rescue someone they love. And that’s exactly what Jesus did for humanity.”
Although we delight in Christ’s love for us, did you know that as His followers we’re told to have this same kind of sacrificial love for others? Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Loving like this sometimes seems impossible in our own human effort. However, whenever God gives us a command, He also provides the resources we need to obey Him.
Pastor Stanley continues, “To understand how important this command is, we need to look no further than Paul’s famous “love chapter.” In the first three verses of 1 Corinthians 13, he speaks about the pre-eminence of love. It transcends all the spiritual gifts…the ability to communicate, biblical knowledge and understanding, great faith, sacrificial generosity, and even martyrdom. Without love, all these great things are worthless in God’s eyes.
The kind of love Paul is speaking about is agape. In the Greek language there are three different words that are translated “love” in English. Eros refers to the sexual attraction between a man and woman, phileo is used for friendly affection, and agape is unselfish, sacrificial love. It’s being committed to another person’s well-being, security, and best interest, and is not dependent upon that person’s lovability (not certain that is actually a word ) or favorable responses.”
The only way to love as Christ commands us is to have God’s love flow through us to others. Fortunately, believers have the Holy Spirit who dwells within them and gives them an extra capacity to love. However, having the capacity doesn’t mean that it automatically flows from us. If we aren’t increasing in spiritual maturity, submission to the Spirit, and obedience to God’s Word, the Spirit’s fruit of love will not grow in us. We’ll simply revert to what usually comes naturally…self-interest. INTENTIONAL men of God know how true this is!
Next week we will unpack 1 Corinthians 13:4 – 7. The Apostle Paul uses character traits and actions to describe love.
