“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While
we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
My thoughts:
“Who do you love?
Yeah, who do you love?” Famous singer, Bo Diddly, in the 1950’s
coined these lyrics, and they have been sung by millions upon millions
since. When it all comes down to it, we
don’t really even know what love is. For
there is only one true, pure love and that is agape love, from the Father.
You kiss your spouse goodnight and whisper “I love you”. When you leave your date at her doorstep and turn to walk back to your car, she tells you “I love you” When your child is struggling to get it right, and everything looks negative, you calmly take their hands in yours and tell them “I love you” When your best friend is going through a hard time and your there to provide support and a shoulder, it’s so easy to say those three little words, “I love you” When you show up at the hospital and the family is crowded around the parent in their bed, you lean in close and hear those words for the very last time, “I love you.”
The words fall from our lips with ease and trigger emotion in our soul that is often followed by tears, joy or comfort. When we say the words though, how often are they said as a cliché, or out of habit vs the authentic, deep, heart tugging love that we ought to have for one another? You see, I think the words have lost their meaning, especially since we have removed the importance and sanctity from the words. Love is now one emotion that is shared between anyone at any given time without the sincerity or heart felt truth behind it. Most of you are aware that there are multiple Greek words for love: Eros ~ love of the physical nature; Phileo ~ love your friends; Storge ~ familia love as in parent to child; and Agape ~ love that is beyond understanding as in the Love from God. Paul warns in 2 Timothy 3:1, that one mark of the “terrible times in the last days” is that people will lack natural love for their own families. Have we come upon those days?
The love of the Father though is unlike any of these, and so incomprehensible in human terms, because we cannot love in the same manner. His love exceeds anything we can imagine or conjur up in our mind when we try. You see, His love transcends all other things, any emotion, any physical boundary, any action, any thought, and any sin. He cannot stop loving you in the most extreme sense of the word.
Several years back I coined a phrase in our home and with my friends – “I Love you more” It wasn’t intended to be a statement of superiority over their love for me; but rather a statement that they could be confident that regardless of what happened between us, my love was stronger. It was a statement that I love you more than this temporary setback or strife that may have come between us. Even then though, this commitment of loving them pales by comparison to the love the God promises us.
Our only action to receive this love from the Father is to be conceived. There is no amount of good works that you can achieve in this life that will make Him love you more. For if this were true, than His grace becomes a farce. For through His grace, He loved us when we didn’t deserve it and still does to this very day. You are unlovable but yet He loves you more and always will.
You kiss your spouse goodnight and whisper “I love you”. When you leave your date at her doorstep and turn to walk back to your car, she tells you “I love you” When your child is struggling to get it right, and everything looks negative, you calmly take their hands in yours and tell them “I love you” When your best friend is going through a hard time and your there to provide support and a shoulder, it’s so easy to say those three little words, “I love you” When you show up at the hospital and the family is crowded around the parent in their bed, you lean in close and hear those words for the very last time, “I love you.”
The words fall from our lips with ease and trigger emotion in our soul that is often followed by tears, joy or comfort. When we say the words though, how often are they said as a cliché, or out of habit vs the authentic, deep, heart tugging love that we ought to have for one another? You see, I think the words have lost their meaning, especially since we have removed the importance and sanctity from the words. Love is now one emotion that is shared between anyone at any given time without the sincerity or heart felt truth behind it. Most of you are aware that there are multiple Greek words for love: Eros ~ love of the physical nature; Phileo ~ love your friends; Storge ~ familia love as in parent to child; and Agape ~ love that is beyond understanding as in the Love from God. Paul warns in 2 Timothy 3:1, that one mark of the “terrible times in the last days” is that people will lack natural love for their own families. Have we come upon those days?
The love of the Father though is unlike any of these, and so incomprehensible in human terms, because we cannot love in the same manner. His love exceeds anything we can imagine or conjur up in our mind when we try. You see, His love transcends all other things, any emotion, any physical boundary, any action, any thought, and any sin. He cannot stop loving you in the most extreme sense of the word.
Several years back I coined a phrase in our home and with my friends – “I Love you more” It wasn’t intended to be a statement of superiority over their love for me; but rather a statement that they could be confident that regardless of what happened between us, my love was stronger. It was a statement that I love you more than this temporary setback or strife that may have come between us. Even then though, this commitment of loving them pales by comparison to the love the God promises us.
Our only action to receive this love from the Father is to be conceived. There is no amount of good works that you can achieve in this life that will make Him love you more. For if this were true, than His grace becomes a farce. For through His grace, He loved us when we didn’t deserve it and still does to this very day. You are unlovable but yet He loves you more and always will.
Be Blessed,
Rich
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