Love (part 2)

10/12/12 If we are left to ourselves we will not love God. Love is first initiated by God. “We love Him because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Love includes not only what God does for us but what He does to us. The barrier that hinders us from loving God as we should is sin. 1 John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” God is the great lawgiver and His laws must be obeyed. Failure to do so will mean ‘just’ punishment - death. God’s wrath abides on the person who chooses to live apart (unbelief) from God and His word. (John 3:36) Since we are doomed and condemned, God sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. God did this for us because He loved us. Propitiation means that God’s wrath was satisfied and the judgment that was against was paid in full by the death of the Son of God. This is love at its best; this is divine love, God’s love for us. It through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven (literally sent away) and the barriers to love God and experience that love has been removed. And we are to love in the same way that Jesus loves us. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16) As I mentioned yesterday love is the only motive that God approves of because it is His motive. When we apply this wonderful truth it becomes easier to understand what Jesus meant when He told His disciples that if they were to follow Him they must deny themselves and take up their cross. (Luke 9:23) Love is giving yourself to the Lord and then through Him to others. Do you really love the Lord? Is He truly the desire of your heart? Are you willing to do whatever He says and go where He says to go? Prayer: Father, thank you for first loving me and freeing me from sin so that You can love through me. Show me opportunities to love with the love of Christ. In Jesus name, amen.