Scripture Reading: Luke 10:30-32, John 5:42
Nothing seems to be a more natural duty for a creature—nothing is more essential to true religion—nothing more necessary as a principle of obedience, or a qualification for everlasting happiness—than the love of God; and it is universally confessed to be so. Whatever is the object, or whatever is the religion—all acknowledge that the love of God is an essential ingredient in it.
Should we consider only the excellency of the divine Being, and the numerous and endearing obligations of all reasonable creatures to him? We would naturally think that the love of God must be universal among mankind; and not one heart can be destitute of that sacred, filial passion. But, alas! if we regard the evidence of Scripture or observation, we must conclude the contrary. The love of God is a rare thing among his own offsprings in our degenerate world.
Now the topic is this: Since it is evident that some, under the profession of religion, are destitute of true love of God; and since it is of the utmost importance that we should know our true character in this respect, let us inquire what are those MARKS whereby we may know whether the love of God dwells in us or not. Let us follow this inquiry with impartiality and self-application; and receive the conviction which may result from it, whether for or against us.
Now it is evident that the love of God does not dwell in you:
- if the native enmity of your hearts against Him has not been subdued;
- if your thoughts and affections do not fix upon Him with peculiar endearment, above all other things;
- if you do not give Him and His interests the preference of all things that may come in competition with Him;
- if you do not labour for conformity to Him;
- if you do not love to converse with Him in His ordinances; and
- if you do not make it the great business of your lives to please Him by keeping His commandments.
As a true believer, love must be a priority. Yes, loving people seems difficult, yet this is what the Bible commands. “For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another” (1 John 3:11). We spend time on what we deem important. For many of us these choices are valid: time with family and friends, work, prayer, serving the poor, fighting for rights, protesting wrongs. But as the Scripture reminds us, “And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3).
Even though we have the freedom to set our own priorities, Jesus made a point of defining certain ones of them for us: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself'” (Matt. 22:37-39). Love, then, is not a gray area in the Scriptures. Jesus gave love priority over all other Christian virtues. Every thought, response, and act of goodwill must first pass through the fine filter of love, or it means nothing at all.
How do we demonstrate the distinctiveness of Christian love? Because virtue is moral action we practice, How can we practice the glorious virtue of love?
Let’s not confuse Christian love with its modern counterfeits – lust, sentimentality, and gratification. While love is a wonderful, warm feeling, it is not only a feeling. In fact, according to the Bible, love is primarily an active interest in the well-being of another person. Love acts for the benefit of others. According to William Barclay love “is the spirit in the heart that will never seek anything but the highest good of its fellow man.”
God loved us not because we had something to offer Him, but rather because He had something to offer us. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God loved us so that He could demonstrate His mercy to us in the person of His Son.
In like manner, everyone around us is of incredible value to God as a potential object of His mercy. His one and only Son died in their place. Because people matter so much to Him, and they ought to matter to us. And, we, therefore, need to love them as He loves them.
In conclusion, the measure of our maturity is our love for God and our love for others. If we fail in our love we have missed what it means to be a Christian.
Memory Verse:
John 5:42
“But I know you—that you have not the love of God in you.”
Baba Aladura, Elder Israel Akinadewo – FCA, PhD
Prelate, Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide (MCCSW)/President, Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC)