WE LIKE LOVE!
We’re in a month when we often think about love because we celebrate Valentine’s Day. We think of those we love, and we communicate with a card, a box of chocolates, or a bunch of roses to say that we love that other person. When we think of “true love” we might also think of “true love’s kiss” popularized by the Disney movies that convey that that is the only thing that can save a person when he or she has died. That, however, is pure fantasy. There is, though, love, a love that can truly save. And for the Disney characters, they eventually end up dead, both the giver and the receiver of that “true love’s kiss.”
It’s good that we are focused on others and how we can communicate our love to them. But there is One who communicated love to us way before we were born and is constantly communicating that daily.
WHAT IS LOVE?
The Bible says that God chose to show His love by giving His Son.
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
You might wonder why that is so significant. How is the giving of one’s son an expression of love?
We read in the book of Romans the following:
Romans 5:8 – “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
There are times in life when one could, out of a sense of responsibility to either humanity or out of love for an individual, be willing to sacrifice a bodily organ to benefit someone in need. Such as the giving of a kidney to help someone who has a damaged kidney. Very rarely would you actually sacrifice your life for someone else. However, there have been many during wartime who have done that, not just for people, but for the sake of beliefs and rights.
The Bible also says:
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
What if that person you sacrifice for is your enemy? Would you sacrifice a family member or even yourself for them?
REBELLION AGAINST LOVE?
In the Scriptures, we read:
Romans 3:11 “There is none who seeks for God;”
We are naturally “haters of God” (Romans 1:30) and God’s enemy (James 4:4).
That is where God’s love is exceptional. He sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ, for those who are sinners and enemies of Himself. So, that those who by faith accept that sacrificial act of love for themselves may be united with a God who loves them and desires to have a relationship with them. Again, I ask what is so significant about this?
LOVE’S END?!
Well, if you do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, there is no real meaning or purpose in your life. You might think so, but what happens when you die? Is that the end? Or will you come back in a different time or different place? Again, I go to the Bible for understanding. The Bible makes it clear that everyone will have an eternal existence. So, death is not the end, however, how one spends that eternal existence is drastically different. For those who choose to accept God’s “true love’s kiss,” we can expect to spend eternity with Him who loves and cares for us. We then have the privilege to live for and bring honor to Him. That is certainly no fantasy! For those who do not accept that, however, it means spending eternity experiencing the separation from that God of love but also experiencing His wrath and anger for choosing to live for ourselves and rebelling against Him.
We really have no concept of “true love,” because our love is so self-focused. However, for those who accept the true love that God has shown to us, they can truly experience love that only God can give and in turn, can learn to reflect that love toward others.
