Endless Love

I John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God Is Love.

Love is in the air, everywhere! Especially this Valentine Weekend. I want to share with each of us this weekend God’s perspective on Love based on His WORD. Our text for today emphasizes the fact that when we know Him, we know true love. The very essence and nature of God is love and it doesn’t change or vary with circumstances.

Let’s start with the highest form or expression of Love, Agape. Love comes from the Greek word “agape”, which means “affectionate regard”, “goodwill”, “benevolence”. Get this, it is God’s WILLFUL direction toward man and DOING what He knows is best for man and not necessarily what man desires. A great example of this is found in a very familiar passage of Scripture, John 3:16. The attitude of God towards His Son and believers on the Lord.

Love belongs to the person who loves, and extends itself to serve and please them rather than to be served or pleased by them. In other words, the God in me increases my capacity to love based on the relationship I have with Him. The Holy Spirit, based on Galatians 5:22-23, develops in us the fruit of the Spirit. Notice I said fruit, not fruits of the Spirit. Why? Love is God and God is love. Love is the ultimate and highest expression of Him. What comes after love is simply the fruit it bears, like joyful love, peaceful love, etc….

God’s love is not like human affection which is rooted in selfishness. I Corinthians 13:4-7 highlights the QUALITIES of Love that has its genesis in God. When we say to a person, I Love You, what are we really saying? Is it said from a selfish motive, masqueraded under a false pretense until the selfish goal is realized? Or, are we saying by God’s grace that we have an intense desire to please this person, even with their shortcomings and failures glaring us in the face. Loving people through the eyes and heart of the Lord positions us to love them like God loves His Son, unconditionally and without reservations.

Love Suffereth Long. The meaning of suffereth long is “has a long mind”. It is long in endurance of unkindness, slander, opposition, or whatever may come to it. This type of love cannot be worn down by what it has to endure. Check this out saints, it reaches beyond oppression and all forms of persecution. It is a long-minded virtue birthed in the heart by the Holy Spirit. It devotes itself to the object of its affections and lasts as long as love does.

May God bless us to love like He does EVERYDAY!