life in the church
Define Love, Divine Love
Define Love, Divine Love
If you have been a Christian for any period of time, or even if you are not a Christian and you have been around Christians very often, there are a few things you have heard. You have heard John 3:16, or maybe you remember Tim Tebow putting the reference in white on his black sun block. You may have even been one of the millions of people to Google the reference to find out what it was.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
You have heard Jesus said that the two greatest commandments were to:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:30-31; Matthew 22:37-38; Luke 10:27; points back to Deuteronomy 6:4-5
You may have even noticed that the board right here in our church says, “love God, love others.”
We see signs and hear phrases everywhere… Live, laugh, love. For love of dog. I’m lovin’ it. Love of my life. Love is blind. All is fair in love and war. Love-hate relationship. Make love, not war. Falling in love. Puppy love. Love will find a way. For the love of all things… And one of my personal favorites, a face only a mother could love…!
Not to mention all the things we love… I love coffee. I love my dog. I love my friends. I love Chick-fil-a. I love racquetball, golf, and fishing. I love my kids. I love my wife. I love spending time with some people, but not everyone obviously. I love steaks on the grill, not to mention, ribs and brisket on the smoker! I love being a pastor, but God hasn’t put me in a position to do that full-time. I love teaching, but I don’t really love my job. I love it when I get to sleep in, but my body hardly ever lets me and I always feel hungover when I do sleep in. I love that I have been clean and sober for almost 25 years…! I love GOD!!!
Do these all mean the same thing??? Obviously not! Or if they do, there is something definitely more wrong with our society than we can even imagine. Maybe that is why the world has gone crazy. We really don’t know what love actually is!!!
I believe there is much more truth to that statement than we truly understand.
In the time Jesus was walking on the earth, the Greeks had at least three different words with an idea translated and defined as love in our culture today. But those three words they used had three very different meanings. And that is part of our problem today, how do we define love? On dictionary.com, the word love has 22 different entries under its definition. 14 of them are used as nouns, 6 as verbs (or actions) with an object, 1 has a verb without an object, and 1 as a verb phrase. No wonder we are confused!!!
This confusion leads to all sorts of misunderstandings too. Who do you love, how do you love, when should you love, what shouldn’t you love, why should you love, do you love at all, shouldn’t I be able to love who, how, or whatever I love, who are you to say I shouldn’t love this, that, or the other?
So many questions and yet we as Christians are commanded to LOVE. The two greatest commands Jesus tells us are to LOVE. God is LOVE.
How we define LOVE is extremely important if we are going to LOVE the way God has commanded us to LOVE and if we are going to teach others to LOVE as he has commanded us to teach others to obey his commands. Friends, we have gotten ourselves into one heck of an ever-lovin’ mess!
Why don’t we see how God, who is love, and who created love, defines love. Instead of 22 definitions of love, and instead of 3 definitions of love, we are going to focus on just ONE definition of love and what that LOVE looks like.
The love we are going to look at in Greek is agape. ἀγάπη In every one of these passages I am going to reference, the same root word agape, is used. So we are only talking about one kind of love. We are talking about what Divine Love really looks like.
When we look back at what Jesus said in the context of Matt. 22; Mark 12; and Luke 10 when he was repeating the Hebrew Shema and adding to it, Jesus used this word agape: to love. We must love God and love others. He told his followers to love one another in several other passages. Same love. When God so loved the world, it’s the same love. This is agape love.
John, the apostle whom Jesus loved, writes this for us.
Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God. The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love. By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:7-10 NET
John goes on to tell us…
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.
1 John 3:18 NET
We find that although love, agape, is being described, love is in every way described as an action. God’s divine love is an active love. But when we are talking about active love, we are not talking about the activity of what we call ‘making love’ we are talking about putting our money where our mouth is and actively doing something when we love God and love people. Paul helps make this even clearer for us. Because God is love, a facet of the fruit of the Spirit of God is love.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NET
To combat lawlessness, all the acts and desires of the flesh that are contrary to walking by the Spirit: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy and murder; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. Paul says we need to walk by the Spirit and that first in the list of the facets of the fruit of the Spirit is love. Divine love, God-like love, unconditional love; along with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control is the fruit that Holy Spirit produces in our lives. And in 1 Corinthians 13 Paul illustrates for us that love is a spiritual gift. 1 Corinthians 12-14 is the longest dissertation on spiritual gifts and the use and practice of the gifts within the context of worship in the New Testament, and Paul says this right in the middle of it about love.
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.
4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways. For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known. ‘
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 NET
We very frequently hear verses 4-7 taken out of context and read at weddings as instructions to a husband and wife how they should love one another. However, this love, this agape love, this divine love, this is how love should act toward all those around us. The people we like, the people we love, the people we minister to, Jesus even said we should love, agape, our enemies…
Now, you’re going to ask, “Well, Pastor Joe, you’ve given us a whole lot of lip service and description of love; divine, agape, biblical love. But what am I supposed to do if divine love is an action?”
Well, figure it out for yourself…just kidding. Here are 5 ways to show God’s love to others.
Number one:
Show God’s love by actively listening to others.
Don’t just hear what people are saying, but really listen to them.
Number two:
Show God’s love by praying with others and for others.
Don’t just tell someone you’ll be praying for them. Offer to join with them in prayer, right then, if they’ll let you. If not, that’s okay, but make sure you do include them in your prayers…don’t just say it and forget it.
Number three:
Show God’s love by being generous.
Not just generous with your money. Although that is a great way to be generous, but also be generous with your time and with your talents as well.
Number four:
Show God’s love by encouraging others.
Especially encouraging them to continue to walk the path of faith when times are hard and life is disappointing.
Number five:
Show God’s love with acts of kindness.
Especially acts of kindness where God receives all the glory. Anonymous good deeds are awesome. Paying for someone’s meal or drink behind you in the drive-thru. But doing an act of kindness with the message that God loves them and is concerned for them, leaving yourself out, is always best. If anything, God lead me to do this for you is a great way to go as well.
Lastly,
No matter who they are and how much you may have against them personally or them against you because of some kind of bias…
It’s possible to show God’s love to anyone.
And showing God’s love to everyone is exactly what Jesus came here to do and what he left us behind to do.
Jesus came to the world to love it and save it, not to condemn it, because the world already stands condemned.
We don’t have to condemn the world. We have to show the world God’s love, because we are Jesus’s body left here on earth.
May you be a blessing and representative of God’s love to someone.
Pastor Joe
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If you are a follower of Christ, this is a must-read!
I have had some similar experiences with people, but this pastor’s story is phenomenal! A must read, but especially for church leaders.
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Masks, vaccines, governments…and God’s Glory!
If you don’t like wearing masks, I heartily agree with you. However, I do it. I have been a middle school teacher now for about a year. As a full-time sub, now with a full license. I hate masks! I hate making students wear masks. I hate having parents complain about me about penalties in participation for constantly needing to tell certain students to wear masks. It bothers me most when parents undermine the school, and my classroom, telling students masks don’t matter.
Honestly, I don’t care about politics in this regard. My wife reads all the medical stuff and debates through me with a pediatrician friend of mine about masks and vaccines. Truth be told, I am vaccinated. Not necessarily because I believe or don’t believe this or that… It was my get out of quarantine and masks free card. Now, in Illinois, it’s not! That sucks.
So? Why bother? Why enforce it? Why wear masks in Walmart and Kroger? Why force my students to wear their masks properly?
1. Many sick and unvaccinated people ignore the signs about masks. Exercise their right to be stupid and come to the store sick. My mom has fought cancer for two years. I don’t want to give something to her or my students.
2. My doctor friend, whom I trust, recommends it. He does it. I do it as a good example to my children and my students.
3. In my opinion, most importantly, the authorities over me, particularly my principal and the diocese my school is a part of have decided to honor the state’s authority and enforce masks. Why is that more important? Biblical authority tells me to honor, respect, and obey those authorities over me. Period.
If it’s not against God’s precepts, obey.
Do I agree? No. Do I like it? No.
Does it violate God’s law? No. So, do it.
Hopefully, over the next few years, politically people will elect new authorities. Hopefully, as soon as possible, the medical field will straight this out. If they don’t, my job is to glorify God and respect, honor, and obey the authorities over me to bring glory to God.
Do you disagree that’s fine? However, before you argue to vehemently, read these passages of scripture and decide. Am I obeying and glorifying God with all this arguing and bickering? Or, am I doing as God has told me in his Word?
The biblical view and precepts regarding the authorities over us. Whether government, employment, or some others…
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Romans 13:1-7 NIV
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
1 Peter 2:13-17 NIV
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God is Not a Smorgasbord
God is Not a Smorgasbord by Dr. Tony Evans
Dear Friend,
Far too many Christians today want a smorgasbord God. The kind of God where you pick and choose when you want Him and when you don’t want Him. But that’s not the kind of God He is, and the kind of people He is looking to partner with in impacting the world are those who follow single-heartedly. He doesn’t want you to just align with Him in private. He is not seeking a silent majority. He wants you and me to go public. He calls each of us to declare our allegiance to Him above all else.
God has something to say on every subject and every issue that confronts us as a culture and in our personal lives, and He has made Himself clear in His Word. If we are going to make a difference by bringing healing, oneness, justice and righteousness into a broken world, we must first get our own lives together and commit to obedience. We may have made some mistakes in the past. We may have tried to pick and choose when it comes to obedience. But we can start right now to make a better tomorrow.
Let’s declare our intention to serve God in everything we say and do. Why would we want to settle for the cafeteria god when we can have the full meal deal?
By Dr. Tony Evans
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I post much more encouragement, memes, and information to that page than the website.
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4 ways to love…at work too.
This was posted in a devotional that comes to my email box. It was titled, 4 ways to love at work, but I would say these are ways to love no matter what setting we are in. They come directly from 1 Corinthians 13.
Love Bears All Things.
The verb to bear has two related meanings, to hold up and to cover – something like a pillar holding up a roof. The pillar holds up the roof and enables it to withstand the wind. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this word picture. He covers and protects us. In a lesser sense, we are also to be pillars for our colleagues.
Love Believes All Things.
The object of our belief is the Lord Jesus Christ. We trust that he is alive, seated at the right hand of the Father, and interceding for us. This is the transformative truth that allows us to see everything differently. If God is for us who can be against us?
Love Hopes All Things.
We live in an age of cynicism. Cynicism prevents us from having genuine hope in God’s unfolding plan. In our worry and doubt, we can fail to see the glorious things God is doing in our midst.
Love Endures All Things.
The workplace can be a test of patience. Frustrations and anger can lead to sustained bitterness. The Holy Spirit walks beside us and enables us to have peace (shalom) even in the face of trouble.
May you have a blessed day!
PJ
