“We love Him because He first loved us…..” 1 John 4:19
There is an entrance into Love that begins with the understanding of God as the creator of all things. All things are created by Him, through Him, and for Him. And since in His infinite wisdom He created us, He understands both the limitations of our flesh and the need of the surpassing greatness of His power to work in us.
Love begins with Him. He is the starting place and the very foundation of love.
Without will or ability to receive and acknowledge that we are infinitely more valuable to Him than our daily doings, we are tempted to doubt this great truth.
Without starting here; He loved us first, we will find ourselves challenged to respond to Him well. Jesus said if you love me you WILL keep my commandments. This intimate relationship has never designed to be a relationship of duty but rather delightful desire. We can’t begin to love Him until we fully realize the length, depth, height and breadth he has gone to by bringing us into His family.
We grow from knowing and receiving the Love he has for us, to the love we hold for Him, seen through our desire (not our perfection) to submit and obey. A stony heart, a religious mind, can serve from duty but in that duty we hold certain expectations of what is owed us because we have performed our’s.
Knowing is one thing, receiving another and it is a necessary personal revelation for every believer. A knowledge and receptivity that flows from hearts producing thankfulness with much joy. A joy creating liberty that delights to do His will.
A love that has been freely received is freely given. So, we come to ~ by this shall all men know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. The only debt we are told to hold from Romans, is to love. Our standard given by Jesus is to love EVEN AS he has loved us. You can see the process of love and begin to understand how this all starts with our ability to first receive His love.
I think we can all can examine our lives, seeing the places we actually love, to the level and degree we believe we are loved. Our judgment of God’s activity - His Love - towards us often defines my response to others.
We are all well schooled in the knowledge of biblical love but living it out daily is the issue.
I want to close with this thought from 1 Thessalonians chapter three and verse twelve:
“May the lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you :15 so that he may establish (literally strengthen; give support to; make firm) your hearts blameless (free from fault or defect) in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”
A simply thought from the phrase so that. Paul’s prayer for love increasing and abounding is so that our hearts would be blameless (without accusation, without guilt and shame) in holiness. It’s always about our hearts.
I wonder how many problems would be resolved in our lives if we simply remained in His love. Perhaps our daily activities would be better suited if we began by being rooted and grounded in love.
Selah.