Love is Demonstrated

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but save the world through him.  John 3:16-17

 How would you define love?  Would you consider yourself to be a loving person?  Everyone desires to be loved.  Let me tell you today, you are loved.  You are loved so much that someone gave their one and only son as a sin sacrifice for you on an old rugged cross.  God loves you dear one.  God loves you more than you can even imagine. 

God reveals to us in 1 Corinthians 13 a clear description of true love.  True love is demonstrated in our action toward others.  Prayerfully ask God to reveal to you if you are truly demonstrating godly love to others.  1 Corinthians 13:1-3 reveals to us that we can teach and share God’s Word with others but if we do not do this in love, it is meaningless.  We can minister to the needy and the poor but if we do not have love in our hearts, we gain nothing.  What do we gain when we truly love those we minister to; eternal rewards.  When we serve others without love, we are serving out of selfish gain.  Ask the LORD to reveal to you if you are serving out of selfish gain or are you truly serving out of love.  Often pride creeps in and before we know it we are serving for our glory instead of the glory of the LORD.  If our behavior not glorify our Savior and LORD, it is meaningless. 

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them – 1 John 4:16.  One characteristic of a Christian is a loving nature.  We have the indwelling Holy Spirit who enables us to love others.  If you are not demonstrating a loving nature, you are quenching the Holy Spirit’s power in your live. I Thessalonians 5:19 tells us – Do not quench the Spirit.  Our LORD has filled us with His Holy Spirit which should be flowing forth on to others, demonstrating Christ’s love.  The Holy Spirit provides us with love to be able to love others; even those who we may assume are difficult to love.  Rick Warren stated, “God teaches us to love by putting some unlovely people around us.  It takes no character to love people who are lovely and loving to you.”

God clearly tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:4 – Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  Are you patient with others?  Do you show kindness to those you know and those you don’t know?  Love is totally unselfish.  Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you and I are incapable of truly loving others.  True love is loving without expecting anything in return.  It is loving without ulterior motives, loving unconditionally.  The more intimate our relationship is with Christ, the more we will reflect Christ.  This will enable us to show love to others. 

You can’t live a life that dishonors someone and profess to love them.  This is not love.  Becoming easily angered and keeping score of wrong-doing is not love.  Are you someone who always wants your way and when you don’t get your way you become angry?  God’s Word clearly reveals this is not love.  It (love) does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs – 1 Corinthians 13:5.   We live in a society that professes to know what true love is.  We look to other things such as the media, other people’s relationships, and self-help books to define true love.  True love is only defined by God in His Word.  Friend, pray and ask God to help you become a person who truly loves others.  Then allow God to work in your heart and your life.  You will be amazed.  When we reflect Christ’s love upon others, it is a blessing beyond anything we can compare, to them and also to us. 

 When Jesus died on the cross He showed he truly loved you.  He desires for us to love others with a sincere heart.  Are you willing to be obedient to Christ?  He is calling us to love.  Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart – 1 Peter 1:22. 

 If we are children of the Almighty God we will love others. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love – 1 John 4:7-8.  Love is a choice and God is the source.  Choose today to love others.

Dear Heavenly Father…..Thank you LORD for your love.  Thank you for demonstrating true love to us.  As we journey through this life, help us to love others.  Father we recognize, without you and the indwelling of your Holy Spirit we are incapable of love.  I pray that we do not quench the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  LORD, help us to truly love.  In Jesus Precious Name I Pray…..Amen.