Do You Love Me?

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“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." – John 13:35                                                                              

  He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, He loves me! 

  Magic 8 ball “Tell me, does he love me?”  - “It is decidedly so”

  The electronic game 20Q took 17 questions to establish that I was thinking of “love”


For centuries people have sought love.  It has been debated, fought over, killed for and misunderstood.  It is often stated that it is a requirement for life, for without it one cannot truly experience emotion.  Face it, even if someone says they don’t love anyone, there is still the high likelihood that they love books, movies, cars or even food.  There are multiple definitions for the term “love” which clearly state just how complex it is.  It is generally accepted though that love is an emotion of endearment or affection between individuals, between a person and their pet and between a person and inanimate objects.  Recognize that the central theme across any definition is the person.  Love is contained within each individual to be shared as decided with outside benefactors.  It is an emotion that can be contained from a provider perspective, but the opposite is not true.  We cannot control who chooses to love us.

  Most readers of the scriptures will equate love to Jesus Christ’s ministry on earth, and they would be accurate.  But did you know that the word “Love” appears in the bible 697 times: 439 in the Old Testament and only 258 in the New Testament (only 74 of those appear in the first 4 books of the New Testament during Jesus walk on earth). Still, if I make the statement “God loves you”; it is often times seen as cliché and loses value in a superfluous world where people are seeking the physical instantiation of love. For many millions of people, it’s almost as if our Creator has become “out of sight-out of mind” in this world. Personally I find that incredibly sad.

  So what is meant when we refer to the fruit of the Spirit regarding love?  What is often times overlooked is the purity of this love from God the Father. Deep philosophical discussions have been had on this topic. I’m not going to bring closure to these debates in one 10 minute devotional, but stay with me. First, one must recognize that God is the Creator of all life. Yours, mine, your neighbor, the Jew in the Synagogue and the Muslims in lower Manhattan. Yes all life. Second, when they were created in the womb, the Holy Spirit loved them with ALL of His being. Third, God’s love cannot change. It is exactly the same today as it was 2000 years ago with a small Jewish boy in Nazareth.  Finally, God’s love for All of mankind is so incredibly deep that He was willing to look His son in the eyes; as Jesus plead to have this cup removed; and tell him “You must die my son, so they can live.”  If you are able to wrap your head around these facts, then take the next step and accept that God’s love is without bounds of time, physical characteristics, biasness or depth. Still with me?

  So what does this mean to you and me as we are growing in our Christian walk? Simply put in John 13:35- Love one another as God has loved you and all will begin to see Christ in you.  Are you up for it?  Can you love those that do not believe in Jesus?  What if in their disbelief they choose to kill Christians?  What about the person with different moral values than you, or the person who has offended you deeply?  Every one of us knows the depths that love holds within our hearts and mind, and yet as important as it is, we reserve the right to give it away to those we deem worthy.  If my actions in life were a determination on whether God loved me, I can assure you, He would not.  I am so grateful that through the loving grace of the Father, He does not withhold His love from anyone, and specifically me


PRAYER:
Lord,
  Thank You for loving us unconditionally. Thank You for the grace of the cross, and the redeeming Spirit that brings us to a place of sanctification in Your eyes. Thank You for giving us the ability to love each other through You and with Your power. What we cannot imagine of our own strength is available through You Lord and we thank You for that. Help us to forgive and to put our biasness and judgments away, to open our hearts and eyes to love Your children as You do. Be our guide and our mentor in these situations. Amen

             

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