Agape Love

"and the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:13)

It is so true that God is the God of Love and we know this because He demonstrated "His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."(Rom 5:8) This really is an amazing thought for humans who, on the whole, cannot demonstrate this kind of "agape" love, yet it is the quality of love that God calls us into. The bible is very clear that we love God, because He first loved us. (1Jn 4:9) Before Christ, our love is mostly self-centred but when the Holy Spirit comes into our heart, He sheds His love in our hearts for others. (Rom 5:5)

The world confuses love for sexual expression (eros love), but true agape love has nothing to do with physical attraction, but is the emotion that seeks the welfare of others before oneself. This is so evident in the life of Jesus, who went about doing good and destroying the works of the devil, (Acts 10:38) not demanding His own rights as God (Php 2:6) or His own way, but who continually lifted up others, even to His own physical detriment (Mar 3:20), the finale of this being the cross.

Christ showed us the full extent of His love when He stretched out His arms willingly on the cross to carry the weight and depravity of our sin so that we could come back into the loving relationship with the Father we were designed to have from the beginning of creation. He taught us the significance of loving others even though they do not share the same values, culture or even colour of skin. We are called to love like this, to lay down our life for others, even as Christ laid down His life for us. This kind of love is only possible when we keep ourselves in the love of God. (Jud 1:21)

How do I continue to love others, preferring them to myself, being kind and patient, not irritable but quick to forgive and keep no record of wrong done against me? Challenging!

The answer, I believe, is found in this amazing declaration of Christ.

Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Faither will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (Joh 14:23)

When we have a deep revelation of how much God loves us, we do not find His commandments burdensome to keep, and in obeying Him and receiving His overflowing love, there comes an automatic outflow of love towards others.