It’s the foundation and hope for every person who places their faith in the cross and resurrection and it’s the thing those who don’t desperately need in their lives.
We all know the love of family members or close friends that show us the good in the world and helps us get through our good days and bad. We even see the love strangers can show us through simple, small acts of kindness. However, the root of all love that is true and pure is that of our Heavenly Father’s love. God’s love is agape which has the Greek meaning of unconditional love.
The story of the Gospel perfectly illustrates the greatest love story ever told, and it is rooted on the perfected love of God.
In Romans 5:8, Paul sums it up beautifully by saying “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
The reality is that we as humans were all destined for eternal separation from God due to our sinful and evil ways because sin has no place in the presence of God. Yet God showed his love by sending his son to be the atonement of all sin and endured an unfathomable price for every one of us. He was beaten, whipped, mocked, and eventually hung on a cross to die. All this God put on the shoulders of His own son to save a wretch like me and you. Luckily, the story was not over, and Jesus rose conquering death once and for all. Through this story we can see many aspects of God’s love and what it is. God’s love is patient, and it is slow to anger, just like it states in Psalms 86:15. Even when we become children of God, we still mess up and go against His Word every single day. But God’s love is slow to anger. On the same note God’s love is quick to forgive like He does every day when we fall short and we are called to do the exact same like in Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you”.
God’s love is humble as He humbled Himself into flesh and bore the weight of our transgressions, we too should humble ourselves as Luke says in Luke 14:11 those who humble themselves will be exalted.
God’s love is selfless in nature through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Psalm 23:4-6 perfectly describes how God’s love protects, For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted”. And possibly the most applicable aspect of God’s love is that it is kind, and this can be summed up with all the other aspects of God’s pure love.
What does this mean for us though? How should this impact the way we live?
God commands us to constantly be displaying His love in our lives and when asked which commandment is greatest, He says loving the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul and the second is to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:36-40).
God makes it abundantly clear that this is how we should live our lives, emulating all the aspects of His love to those He’s put around us. We are called to be patient with those around us as God is patient with us and all of our shortcomings. We are called to be forgiving in the same way to those who have done wrong to us and to turn the other cheek instead of reacting in anger. We need to become humble to those around us as the boastful and arrogant don’t follow God’s Word. We need to be selfless and put others before ourselves and our own ambitions because we are called to serve our neighbors. The manner in which we act should also be protective, when necessary, to protect brothers and sisters from the evils of the world. Lastly, be kind. It seems like such a cliché or overused phrase, but it really goes a long way and is one of our highest callings according to God. Treating our neighbors with kindness and respect should be an important aspect of the Christian life.
When it comes to how we should love others romantically, I believe the same things apply as mentioned above just on a whole new level. We should always be patient with our partners as God has been patient with us. When your significant other messes up or frustrates you smile and respond with forgiveness as our Heavenly Father has forgiven us and allow it to grow the both of you.
Relationships are tricky and not always easy so its important to be slow to anger and understand that you are both on a race chasing towards Christ that will never end with perfection until you meet Christ face to face.
Humble yourself before your partner because no person is better than the other. Act selfless towards your significant other, always serve them like Jesus served those around Him like washing the feet of the disciples. Always protect your spouse from the evils of the world, and this isn’t just physical protection. There are mental, emotional, and spiritual battles being waged today more than any time before and we must protect these aspects of our significant others just as much as we do physically. Lastly, always treat your partner with kindness. It’s a simple way to live and it beautifully shows God’s love to those we love.
Always remember that no love will ever match the love that God has for us. Every day strive to show the love of God to the neighbors around you.
“God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, "I love you." – Billy Graham
Everybody Love Everybody,
RP
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