Jesus loves me. Being loved with His kind of love, unconditionally and everlasting, changes me. I can see examples of how human love changes people; a bride glows with the knowledge that she is loved; a child thrives and becomes all he can be when he knows he is loved. It is the same with the love of Christ, only deeper. In fact, it should go so deep that I am willing to lay down my life because I love others.
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:2)The word “walk” is also translated in some Bible versions as “live a life of” because the original Greek word is talking about a life pattern. This kind of love isn’t something that happens now and then, or when someone deserves or earns it. The love of Christ never stops and has no outside reason for its existence. He loves us because that is who He is.
As my devotional reading today says, the world often defines love in terms of what it can get. Even the purest human love will be challenged under the test of getting absolutely nothing in return, but the love of God continues, even if He never gets anything in return.
Imagine what that kind of love would do to the divorce rate. Imagine what it would do to the juvenile delinquent rate. Jails would be emptied. Being loved makes a huge difference.
The love of Christ is also characterized by no dependence upon response in the negative sense. That is, He loves me regardless of the pain that I have caused Him. Romans 5:12 says,
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.In my weakness and sinful state I cannot please God, but it pleased Jesus Christ to die for me anyway, even though I would be born a sinner and hostile to Him. Good people might die for good people, but Jesus died for those who hate Him, curse Him, or just ignore Him.
This is the love that He offers as to characterize my life. He doesn’t want me to settle for the emotional love the world knows, or the ‘it makes me feel good’ love of philanthropy, or the even the purest family love that still fight over the TV remote or grandma’s possessions after she dies. The love of God is so far above anything humanly known or experienced that most Christians do not even recognize it as love when called upon to give up something for others. We don’t see sacrifice as a blessed aroma to God.
Yet love is giving up my wants to help someone else become godly. Love is obedience even when I do not agree with Him and want to do something else. Love is staying awake to pray when I would rather sleep. Love is tearing myself away from things I enjoy to do something for someone else that I don’t enjoy. Love is pouring my time and energy into meeting needs for others as God asks me.
Sacrificial love isn’t always pleasant, but I need to remember that this isn’t about me or my pleasure. For Jesus, the joy came later and that is what He is trying to teach me. Make the sacrifices, but don’t expect immediate results. As Hebrews 12:2-3 say, I am to keep “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of (my) faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” I am to “consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest (I) become weary and discouraged.”
Furthermore, I can see that loving others like this may not change anyone else. It may have no impact at all on those that I give my life for, nor will I see any results, but it will change me and those changes will please God.
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