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Many of us who are under 40 years old are familiar in various degrees with Rock or Pop music. Not many of us understand the subject of love, and the result is that we have adopted meanings about love that are wholly incorrect. One of the popular songs I remember from the last 20 years tells us, “love is a second-hand emotion.” The world-view is that love, basically, has to do with feelings. Most of the world lives under the delusion that to love is only a sexually related act.
I have observed from many media industries, as well as first hand, the universal misconception: Love is an emotion. Is this really what love is? Certainly love involves emotions, but is it solely emotion, such as anger, or happiness? Let’s examine together what God’s Word has to say. John 14:34 - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Jesus’ command is not that you must feel love for one another but that you must make the decision to love regardless of how you feel. Jesus is showing that love is active; it is a choice. He tells us to love, as He has loved us. His love towards us involves acts of service and intercession. He does not love us based on feelings; He just chooses to do so. So we, also, must discern that love involves action; it involves a choice. It is a commitment.
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” What did the world do to deserve God’s love? There is nothing that man has ever done to merit His love towards them, yet He still chooses to love us. Even when you’ve forgotten to pray; or when you failed to thank him for watching over your family; or when you yelled at your spouse or children, God’s love is still there. None of these facts inhibits His love towards you and me as is beautifully shown to us in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. God still sent His most precious possession -- His only begotten, Beloved Son into the world to suffer and die for us. Even though some will never respond to this generous, sacrificial act of love, God sent Him anyway.
Matthew 5:45 - “…He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” God doesn’t just send His blessings to those who love Him, but to the entire world. One day, most of mankind will respond in kind to His love, by choice. God’s love is active and He desires ours to be too.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 - “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.” When you carefully examine this most elegant passage of Scripture, it becomes apparent that emotion or feelings cannot be the motivating factor allowing us to reach out towards this lofty standard presented above. In order to be kind and patient, we must stop thinking about what we have to gain from others. To hope and trust, we must be willing to risk injury by having our trust betrayed. We must never give up on others because true love endures. The all-important foundation for love is choosing others over self.
Given that God, through Christ, has empowered us with His Holy Spirit, and that we believe in that power, there remains only one factor missing in attaining to this kind of love; choosing to serve instead of being served. When we choose to honor others, family members, brethren, neighbors; and serve their interests above our own, we are well on the way to joy and peace and a God-like love, even if our efforts are spurned or go unappreciated. Christians love, not because they want a positive reaction, but because Jesus commanded them to do so and they desire to bear fruit to the Father’s praise and glory.
Consider Paul’s words in Philippians 2:3-8: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross.” Jesus gave up a position in life far beyond anything He calls us from. “He left the realms of Light to enter the depths of night” -- yet he did it joyfully, with love from a heart willing to serve his fellow man. He loved his Father so much he endured unwarranted scorn, shame and ridicule -- all with a willing heart. Are we as willing as Jesus to give up what we want in order to serve our family, our church, our neighbors and our God? Let’s take some time and evaluate where we consider ourselves to be on the scale of humanity. If we find ourselves at the bottom, then we are in great shape. That is where Jesus chose to be for you and me. That is where we need to be so that we can truly love our families, our fellow man and our God.
A. W. ©CDMI
