Wednesday, October 16, 2002

"All you need is LOVE"

Love- There is the age old question: Is it better to have loved and lost or to have never loved before? This is a difficult thing to talk about because there is a big difference between the world’s view of love and God’s view of love. God has been teaching me a lot about this subject and showing me how to love others with the same type of love that God shows us.
From a young age many of us grow up hearing songs like “Jesus Loves Me” then as we get older, we listen to the more “popular” music with lyrics like “Love me, love me, say that you love me” and “Do you love me?”. Even though it is the same English word, it has two very different meanings. God’s love or agape love is shown in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 with characteristics like being patient and 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, it keeps no record of wrongs, and it doesn’t delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. This type of love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. It is probably not hard to show some of these characteristics to someone you like or are friends with, but what about someone who has hurt you or betrayed your trust? Can you love them like this?
As I look around, at the media, that is not the “love” they are showing. (See how many of these characteristics fit with our media and culture today!) The world’s “love” is shown as people being lovers of themselves (the all-about-me syndrome), lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. This type of “love” is boastful, proud, abusive, ungrateful, unholy, unforgiving, and slanderous. The Bible also mentions this type of “love” in II Timothy 3:1-5. This is the type of “love” most easily shown from our sinful nature.
These are the two types of love that we have to choose from- one is a temporary love that will only lead to self destruction but the other is an unconditional love that no matter what we have done, we can still be loved. The God of the universe created you and me for a love relationship. He wants us to love others the way He has shown His love to us.
Wow! Those words are heavy- you mean I have to love even my enemy? Yep (Read Matthew 5:43-48) just as Christ loved us enough to die on the cross to save us from our sin.
God has really been working on my heart concerning this agape love. Everywhere I turn I find a new and interesting aspect of Christ’s love for me. My prayer for you is that you will know this love that only God can give. The world can’t even come close to the love shown by a God who knows how many hairs are on top of each of our heads.
Much love and God’s Blessings,
Angela Calhoun