Rooted in the love of Jesus Christ 💕-Part 2
What is this love of God that Apostle Paul teaches us to operate in? How do we know that we (as followers and servants of Jesus Christ) possess this love?
First, we must understand that we can never love God or others with our fallen or sinful nature but “Pure love” or “True love” originates from God (For He is love) and this nature or attribute of God is imparted to us (if we are willing to receive it and be transformed into the image of God) through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us as we walk and maintain an unbroken fellowship with God.
1 John 4:7 AMP declares
Beloved, let us unselfishly love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves others is born of God and knows God through personal experience.
Second, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 AMP further teaches us about this love. I have illustrated below the concepts of this love (found in Jesus Christ) that we must all seek after and possess:
- Love endures with patience and serenity (Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting-Galatians 5:22 AMP)
- Love is kind and thoughtful (considerate helpful and understanding)
- Love is not jealous or envious of others (It does not challenge or compete with others)
- Love does not brag (about the accomplishments of the self but brags about the grace, loving kindness and power of God)
- Love is not proud or arrogant (Self-conceitedness & satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements and possessions without depending or acknowledging the sovereignty of God)
- Love is not rude or mean towards family or others (harshness coupled with anger stemming from jealousy, pride or selfishness-refusing to help or care)
- Love is not self-seeking (selfish & self-centered) and does not seek after pleasing the self through manipulating or using others to gain something but it seeks the best for others.
- Love is not provoked nor overly sensitive and easily angered. It is patient, kind and sympathetic towards the struggles and difficulties others face.
- Love does not rejoice at injustice or at others suffering but rejoices with the truth (when right and truth wins or prevails)
- Love bears all things that God permits in our lives.
- Love believes all things revealed in the written word of God and revealed by the Spirit of God. It does not depend on human opinions, evil suspicions and opinions triggered by the flesh.
- Love hopes in all things revealed by the Spirit of God.
- Love endures in all things God permits in our lives without weakening.
Third, this love is found or gained by following the example of Jesus Christ who taught us about self sacrifice and dying to the evil or sinful-self/flesh present in us (our selfishness, self-centered thinking, self-egos and self-interests) and alive/awake towards serving God (His plans, purposes and will) and others.
Ephesians 5:1-2 AMP declares
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Philippians 2:4 AMP also declares
Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let us now focus on the areas/people where we must show or reflect this love of God embedded is us by the Holy Spirit God:
Love towards God:
We must love God with all of our heart, mind and soul. We must put God first in everything and have no other idols (money, possessions, fame, worldly riches, lust, selfishness, laziness, self-conceitedness, status, need for approval from people, love for this world, love for sin/pleasure or whatever is valued more than the Lord) before him. We must also maintain an unbroken fellowship with him till the coming of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Matthew 22:37-38 and Luke 10:27 declares and establishes this fact and requirement
And Jesus replied to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
Love towards our family:
We must learn to love our spouses and family with true affectionate love just like Jesus loved us (the church) and gave his life for us. We must understand that our marriages should be held together by prayer, love, deep care/concern for one another and faithfulness. Spouses must also learn to treat each other with respect holding and treasuring each other in the pure uncorrupted love of God.
Ephesians 5:33 AMP declares
However, each man among you without exception is to love his wife as his very own self with behavior worthy of respect and esteem, always seeking the best for her with an attitude of loving-kindness and the wife must see to it that she respects and delights in her husband that she notices him and prefers him and treats him with loving concern, treasuring him, honoring him, and holding him dear.
Love towards others (Ministry):
We must love others unselfishly and seek the best for others without using or manipulating others to serve us or get what we want through our sinful and selfish agendas.
Matthew 22:39-40 AMP declares
The second greatest commandment is ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others.
1 Corinthians 10:24 AMP also declares
Let no one seek only his own good, but also that of the other person.
Beloved stay rooted and grounded in this pure love of Jesus Christ today as God graciously uses you in ministry and entrusts you with his anointing (power) to reach this lost world for Him.
Finally, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 AMP declares that without this love of God operating in us or in our ministries we are nothing but empty, noisy instruments (cymbals) that distracts and frustrates others in the body of Christ with our selfish rants, selfish egos, fallen nature, unrealistic selfish expectations, selfish/fleshy dreams, selfish/fleshy goals and opinions (that don’t testify and glorify Christ Jesus to the fullest;nor does it lead others to the true, right path of gaining God and his presence but instead it burdens and deceives others to remain in the grasp and clutches of Satan)
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal just an annoying distraction. And if I have the gift of prophecy and speak a new message from God to the people, and understand all mysteries, and possess all knowledge; and if I have all sufficient faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love reaching out to others, I am nothing. If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have this love of God in me then it does me no good at all.
-Evg.Samuel Meesala