Verse of the Week...

This isn’t my first exposition of love. Far from it. It’s too rich, too complex to hit it out of the park with one swing. Plus, if the Bible is any indicator of its proper place in the lives of believers, we should be touching on it just about every other week (according to Biblegateway.com, it’s directly mentioned 697 times). No doubt Jesus did.

I’d like to begin, then, with a simple question. Why is love so important? Why is there so much emphasis on it as the summation of all God commands His people? Understanding the answer will, God-willing, compel us to further open our hearts to Jesus, first, and to those with whom we live this life: our family, our friends, our coworkers, our acquaintances, our enemies—all of which collectively make up the biblical category of ‘neighbor,’ as in 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Okay, so let’s talk about love. A human life of love, or one characterized by it, is of paramount signficance to God because He is love (I referenced this a few weeks ago; see 1 John 4:8). In other words, when we showcase true love we mirror our Maker, evidencing our creation in His image. Yes, we have eternity written on our hearts, but along with that we have love inscribed on it too—or at least the God-given capacity to give it, share it, feel it, receive it. So it matters to God whether we live a love-filled life because only in doing so does the created align with its Creator. Jesus even goes so far as to say that love is the mark of His true followers.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. -John 13:34-35

So love is the God-described faith-meter of Christians—if our gauge reads 'Full,' we’re really one of His, if the needle sits on ‘E,’ Jesus would Himself declare us white-washed tombs. Most wouldn’t argue this, but to an extent, the question still remains: Why is it so important, as the Apostle Paul notes below, even more so than knowledge, wisdom, faith and good deeds alone? Love is supreme because it is the driving force behind all God-honoring action. It is powerful enough to break down societal and cultural barriers, strong enough to reconcile any conflict, and magnificent enough to portray, if not actually reflect, the gloriousness of God. After all, by God’s will, love is absolutely effectual; it never fails.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. –1 Corinthians 13:1-3

One last word to Christians (and I wholeheartedly include myself in this lot): as difficult as it is, as much as it goes against the grain of our flesh, we must, in the words of Lenny Kravitz of all people, let love rule. We must let it rule in our heart that we would let God reign over our life. And we must let it do so in the toughest of times, with the roughest of people. Especially then. Jesus makes an indicting point in the Gospel of Matthew:

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? –Matthew 5:46

If we only love others who love us, if we only love others when they love us, nothing is different...and everything about that is problematic. God calls us to be separate, set apart, that He would be seen and savored. If we don’t love differently (or ‘truly’), if we don’t love radically (showing rich mercy, giving undeserved grace), we actually dim our reflection of the light of God’s glory—a deflating thought to lovers of His praise.

If you’re like me, you need help. But look no further than the verse below and pray the Spirit would let it rest heavy on your heart.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. –Romans 5:8

While we were enemies of God, at our ugliest and when we were never less deserving, God displayed His love for us in the brutal slaying of His only Son. If, by the work of the Spirit, we can get an increasingly better handle on this in our heart of hearts, we’ll mature into genuine, selfless lovers—the kind that stand out in a self-absorbed world. Only then will the world take notice. And then, the only God, the God of true love, will be lifted up for all to recognize and revere.

Grace, and love, to you,

Voice of another