Thought for the Day #111
John 15:12 (New American Standard Bible)
“This is My
commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”
Our entire society is preoccupied with its need for love.
“Love!” We need it, want it, search for it and demand it. Yet, with all of that,
we don’t know what it is, how to recognize it, or where to find it. We have
difficulty in either giving or receiving it. Few have understanding of what
genuine love is all about.
We have defiled the word with careless and thoughtless applications. Love
has become a description of our preoccupation with relationships, things and
situations. The most common use of the word, “love”, is found in such
expressions as: “I love my car, boat, or house”. “Oh, I just love your dress or
shoes”. “I loved the party, game, or restaurant,” I “I just love my job, etc. “
This kind of love is very shallow and fleeting. It cannot satisfy the
longing within us to love and be loved.
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John 4:7 declares: “God is love”. He is our only source of genuine love! When
we discover His love for us, we can then become a participant in all that love
is.
We must understand God’s love for us if we are to
experience its blessed work. In John 3:16 He declares that he loved us so much
that he gave his only begotten son for us. Jesus, His son, loved us so much
that he died for our redemption. God literally bought us back from the law of
sin and death through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
Those who are redeemed walk in that wonderful, passionate
love of God as the “Son’s of God” in His kingdom.
We will find perfect love in our Heavenly Father. He is the
only source of genuine love.
His love within us enables us to keep his commandment. We
can love each other as he loves us. We must be filled with His love. It is
simply extended unto others within his Kingdom through us. We are a vessel or
channel through which His love can flow.
God’s love includes acceptance, appreciation, forgiveness
and genuine care for others even if they don’t deserve it. His love stretches
us to go beyond what might seem reasonable. It might require us to go the
“second mile”. It causes us to be more willing to serve, than to be served.
Our marriages, children, friendships, even a casual
relationship will never be complete until we let His love flow through us.
Enjoy total satisfaction and fulfillment as a conduit for the love of God. As
His love flows in, let it flow out to others. Each will be blessed.
We
really do reap what we sow. If we sow the seeds of
love, we will reap the harvest of love. The return is always greater than the
investment. Let us keep His commandment by loving others as he loves us!