Love.

1. Intro
It is my desire that you will really do understand the depths of the love of God. Why? Because we often struggle to answer His unconditional love. Christian love is not simply an emotion which arises because of the character of the one loved. It is not due to the loving quality of the lover. It is a relationship of self-giving which results from God's activity in Christ.

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8). The source of Christian love is God.

5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:5). The believer's response of faith makes love a human possibility. All three members of the Trinity are involved in the salvation. The Father loved us so much that he sent his Son to bridge the gap between us (John 3:16). The Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit to fill our lives with love and to enable us to live by his power (Acts 1:8). With all this loving care, how can we do less than serve Him completely!

God is the Creator of all things, and by His very nature, He is love. God says love is unconditional and sacrificial, and it's not based on feelings; therefore, love is not an "intense affection… based on familial or personal ties". To understand what true love is and to be able to truly love God and others, we must know God, and we can do this through a close personal relationship with Him. We can have that close relationship with God by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, who was God's sacrifice of love for us. If you want to know this love - true love -- get to know God! This is the key to understand the depths of his love. Built on your relation with God, invest in Him (time, prayer, devotions etc.). The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with Him (2 Chronicles 15:2). Draw close to God and He will draw close to you (James 4:8). 17 “I love all who love me. Those who search for me will surely find me. (Proverbs 8:17) He is ready to pour out His love on you, and He wants to teach you how to love others as He loves you. Are you ready?!

You, too, my friend can choose to understand the depths of his love. Try it – you’ll like it!

2. Love is the Greatest.
First, however, let me tell you about something else that is better than any of them!  1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! (1 Corinthians 13:1-8)
Love makes our actions and gifts useful. Although people have different gifts, love is available to everyone. Love is the greatest of all human qualities, and it is an attribute of God himself (1 John 4:8). Love involves unselfish service to others; to show it gives evidence that you care. Faith is the foundation and content of God’s message; Hope is the attitude and focus; love is the action. When faith and hope are in line, you are free to love completely because you understand how God loves. Let love be your highest goal! (1 Corinthians 14:1)

3. A lesson to the church.
1 …. You think that everyone should agree with your perfect knowledge. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church. 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. 3 But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for.(1 Corinthians 8:1-3)
Love is more important than knowledge. Knowledge can make us look good and feel important, but we can all too easily develop an arrogant, know-it-all attitude. Many people with strong opinions are unwilling to listen to and learn from God and others. We can obtain God’s knowledge only by loving him (see James 3:17, 18). And we can know and be known by God only when we model Him by showing love (1 John 4:7, 8). In these teachings, of course, the selfless love is a response to God's prior activity. It is a way of living expected of those who are citizens of the Kingdom.

4. Love is a command.
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35). This command of Jesus to love one another gives us insight into the nature of Jesus Christ for the church and the nature of Christian love. What is commanded is not an emotion; it is the disciplined will to seek the welfare of others. Jesus speaks with the authority of the Father, the only One with authority to make such demands of men and women. Jesus speaks as the incarnate Word (John 1:1, John 1:14). He has authority to give conditions for discipleship. The relationship of this commandment to Leviticus 19:18 should be noted. Both command love, but Jesus' commandment includes the clause: “as I have loved you.”. 18 Dear children, let us stop saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions (1 John 3:18). This love is be manifested in deeds. John left no doubt about the relationship of love and belief in God. Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness (1 John 2:9). Whoever does not do right and love his brother is not of God and a liar (1 John 4:20). 1 John 4:8 is the climax: “But anyone who does not love does not know God – for God is love!”

5. Love of parents for their children.
Can anyone really comprehend "unconditional" love? It seems the love that parents have for their children is as close to unconditional love as we can get without the help of God's love in our lives. We continue to love our children through good times and bad, and we don't stop loving them if they don't meet the expectations we may have for them. We make a choice to love our children even when we consider them unlovable; our love doesn't stop when we don't "feel" love for them. This is similar to God's love for us, but as we shall see, God's love transcends the human definition of love to a point that is hard for us to comprehend.

6. Marriage and love.
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her (Ephesians 5:25)
These verses show a high view of marriage. Here marriage is not a practical necessity or a cure for lust, but a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church! Marriage is a holy union, a living symbol, a precious relationship that needs tender, self-sacrificing care. Keep the marriage holy!!
7. Love and fear.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. (1 John 4:18)
There are many evil spirits that Satan uses to make people miserable, but I personally believe that fear is the master spirit. Fear seems to be the root of most of the problems that steal our peace. (Joyce Meyer). Don’t let Satan steal your peace!

8. Learning to abide in His love.
The word abide means "to dwell in or live." It does not refer to visiting. It refers to staying or remaining. I don't visit my house; I live in it. We should learn to live in the love of God. First John 4:16 brings out the point that we should become conscious and aware of the love God has for us. The knowledge of His love should not be some biblical fact to which we mentally assent, but it should be a daily, living reality in our lives. This scripture says we should observe it and experience it: And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him (I John 4:16). (Joyce Meyer).

9. Let nothing separate you from God’s love. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or cold, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39). These verses contain one of the most comforting promises in all Scripture. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms: persecution, illness, imprisonment, even death. These could cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ. But Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love, Nothing can stop Christ’s constant presence with us. God tells us how great love is so that we feel totally secure in Him. If we believe this overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid. As long as you refuse to let anything separate you from God's love, you will have the victory!
9 Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and constantly loves those who love him and obey his commands. (Deuteronomy 7:9) Look at the header of this chapter: “The privilege of holiness! How can we possibly love God as much as He loves us? We simply can’t. But God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He knows that we are sinful and limited in what we can do. Still, we need to love Him. So where does that love begin? Loving God begins with sincerely being grateful for all He has done for us: creating us, sending Christ to die for us, choosing us to live with Him in heaven, and giving us the Holy Spirit. Loving God also means being willing to do whatever He asks. In other words, loving God begins in your heart and is eventually shown through your actions.

10. Love and obey.
21 Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each one of them.” (John 14:21). Love is more than lovely words! It is commitment and conduct! If you love Christ, then prove it by obeying what He says in his Word. Look at His promises: He will loves us and reveal Himself personally to each one of us as individuals. Wow, communication and intimacy with the Lord, which is the solution and key to understand His unconditional love.

So be very careful to love the Lord your God (Joshua 23:11).

11. Finally.
Dear friend, repeat with me with a true heart these words from Peter:

“Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” (John 21:17)

Kees Heijstek. September 2008.


Note: I would advise you to use the commentary out of the “life application study bible” for your personal devotions, which have been used for these devotion too.