“The world takes us to a silver screen on which flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch, the world says, ‘This is love.’ God takes us to the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs and says, ‘This is love.’ – Joshua Harris
That quote kind of puts things in perspective doesn’t it? It’s for this reason Jesus tells us in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Not only is he speaking directly to his disciples and teaching them of the second greatest command, behind only, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30, but He is prophesying about His pending death on the cross for each of our sins. He was telling them, and us through His word, that He loved us so much He was willing to die for us. We learn again of this great love in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” While we were still sinners, while we were caught up in selfishness, pride, immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, drunkenness, adultery, murdering,….raping…., every single filthy disgusting act that man can think of and has done. While we were doing all of that, Jesus loved us so much that He died for each and every one, as he hung on that cross at Calvary. How can we know that and not love the Lord with all of our heart?
We once got into a discussion in my Bible study about love, how can we define it? The answer to this question is simple, God is love. We see His love in sending His Son to die for us. We see His love in granting us mercy when we least deserved it. We see His love through grace when we deserve to be condemned. We see His love through the cross. God is love. Think about that the next time someone is so quick to throw around the word love as a though its meaning were trivial. Do they really know what love is? Take the time to show them that God is love.
Have a Blessed Day!
“God is Light.” “God is Love.” That which professes to be light yet lacks love, is not of God; while that which calls itself love, but is not according to light is equally not of God. – J. Charleton Steen
