Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers: As the title implies, this is the second installment of a two-part series appropriately titled, “What Is This Thing Called Love?” If you haven’t read last week’s posting, I would encourage you to do so by clicking on, http://meetpastordan.com/what-is-this-thing-called-love/. It is the “why” part of the question, and this week is the “how” to part of the question. I felt compelled to write this because in our culture today, the term “love” has gotten so watered down that it is virtually meaningless. That statement is explained in detail in last week’s blog, and there are ample divorce statistics, even among Christians, to substantiate that claim. The “love” perpetuated by our morally bankrupt culture could not be further from the original source of “Love”.
In The Bible, the essence of God is described with one word: “God is Love”. (1 John: 4:8) We are told later in the same Book that “we love because God first loved us.” (1 John:4:19) This love extends back to before the creation of the World and “Man”, as so beautifully explained in Ephesians 1:4: “Long ago, even before the creation of the World, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” God’s omniscience and his unconditional, unending, unfailing love is displayed right here. Even before he created “Man”, he knew we were going to use our “free will” for purposes other than for which it was intended. He knew we were going to put the focus on “self” rather than on Him (the definition of “Sin”), and that we would become “utterly helpless” to “save” ourselves. His plan was always to send Jesus Christ to pay the penalty (ransom) for OUR sins so we could have an eternal relationship with him in Paradise.
This self-sacrificial “love”, a love that focuses on the happiness and welfare of the other person, is “Agape Love, the kind of love demonstrated by God in his “Gift of Grace”, and the love demonstrated by Jesus when he walked on this earth. This IS “that thing called love.” Every time the term “love” is used in the Bible, this is what is being referenced. In last week’s posting I referred to 1 Corinthians 13:1-3,13, when describing the importance of “Love”. Today I am referencing 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 as the definition of Agape Love. This Scripture is often used in wedding ceremonies, but let’s listen to it today with “new” ears and an “open” heart. I will add some of my thoughts in parentheses.
“Love is patient, love is kind” (creates an atmosphere of safety) “Love is not jealous, or boastful or proud or rude” (demonstrates willingness to change, ie. humility) “Love does not demand its own way, nor is it self-seeking” (shows respect and honor for the other person) “Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged” (shows compassion and willingness to forgive) “Love takes no joy in injustice, but rejoices in the truth” (shows a willingness to be honest, to “productively communicate”, ie.connect) “Love never gives up, never loses faith and is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.” (shows a willingness to do whatever necessary to restore the relationship).
When we compare the above definition of love to what we see in movies, on the latest TV “soaps”, or read about in the latest “People” magazine, it is not hard to see the chasm that exist between man’s definition of “love”, usually defined by feelings and emotions, and God’s definition of “love”, defined as a state of being. In other words, just like the Ten Commandments or the Beatitudes, Agape Love is impossible to achieve through our own volition.
But fear not because God’s salvation plan is perfect, and includes the “secret weapon” that empowers all Christ-followers to become the person He created us to be. This is clearly and beautifully stated in Ephesians 2:10. “We are (now) God’s Mastepiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Remember…prior to being in Christ we were consumed with doing the things we planned for our self, and the last thing on our mind was God’s plan for our life. Unfortunately, those who are of this world (unbelievers) still have their focus on “self”, and are missing out on God’s glorious plan that he has made available to anyone who will receive it. Roman’s 12:2 sums-up this condition: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”
So…you might be asking yourself at this point, “What is this ‘secret weapon’ that will empower me to become the person God created me to be?” Let me refer you to a passage of Scripture that makes this perfectly clear, and let me set-up that passage. Jesus was telling his Apostles about his impending, arrest, trial and crucifixion and he knew how terrifying this message was to his audience. And he also knew these men in front of him were the ones who were going to have to carry his teachings into the world after He was gone, and that whatever strength, power and authority they had, they got from him. (And equally important, the Apostles knew that to be the case too!) So he wanted to give them a sense of security by sharing these words: “I will not abandon you like orphans – No, I will come to you. I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now, and later will be in you.” (John 14:18,16-17) In other words, Jesus is telling his Apostles that I AM the Holy Spirit. That “I will come to you…and will be in you.” You will still be able to draw your strength, courage, wisdom, etc. from me.
The good news for us is…because we are in Christ, we too are his Apostles. Therefore we have the Holy Spirit in us to empower us to be the person God created us to be. We are now his Masterpiece, “capable of doing the good things he planned for us long ago.” This is part of God’s Salvation Plan for us, and is our gift so we can become the person he created us to be. This is how we rise above our circumstances and the world around us to bring honor and glory to Him. This is how we can live according to the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and this is how we can achieve Agape Love.
I just finished teaching a marriage class based on the book by Danny Silk entitled, “Keep Your Love On”. After the third week we established a “group goal” and a “group mantra” that I would like to share with you, because nothing in this life is more challenging than maintaining a healthy, vibrant relationship. The premise of KYLO is that in relationships, we are either moving toward connection or moving away to disconnection.
The goal of our group is “connection” with our spouses. And how do we achieve that: “We ask the Holy Spirit to give us eyes to see, ears to hear, wisdom to understand and a willingness to love our spouse with the same unconditional love God imparts to us. (That can only be done through the Holy Spirit, because Agape Love is the unquenchable desire to care more about the happiness and welfare of your spouse than yourself.”)
Our group mantra: “I will ask the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom, courage, strength, patience, perseverance – whatever it is I need – so I can treat my spouse like the most important person in my life, and I will show it through my words and my actions. (When we call on the Holy Spirit, He empowers us with our request so we can rise above our circumstances or the world around us to bring honor and glory to Him through our choices.)
The truth is…Jesus has already overcome the world, and so have we because we’re in Christ!
Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.
May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
Leave a Comment