The real power of love means different things for different people, but it is the most powerful force on earth.
There is a mother’s love, the love of a lover, the love of a friend, and then there is the love of God. It is through love that we reflect the character of God and fulfill His purposes for our lives. Yet, the power of love is much more, for love is not passive but strongly active.
Love is Never Passive
When you love someone your love is never passive for it moves you. God loves us with a love that is active beyond our human comprehension for He joys over us with singing, Zephaniah 3:17. God knows the end from the beginning, Isaiah 46:10. He does not see us as we are, but what we will become in Him, which is why He exalts triumphantly over us.
While we were yet sinners God sent His Son to die in our place, Romans 5:8. Christ died for His bride before the foundation of the world, Revelation 13:8.
There is no greater love than you lay down your life for the one you love, John 15:13. God loved His created so much He had a plan for the redemption of mankind that was formed in eternity.
Greatest Commandment
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbour as yourself’, Matthew 22:37-40. This is the greatest commandment.
Love changes attitudes and shapes our lives. It is not only transformative but also profound as it enriches our lives. This love does not originate with us, for God is the ultimate source of that love. God is love and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him,1 John 4:16.
Unconditional Love
It is impossible for humans to have and to know unconditional love, apart from God. Yet, the love of God is not only unconditional it is unchanging, for it is the same yesterday, today and for all eternity. It is also unfathomable that God should love us so much He chose to redeem fallen man.
It is difficult for humans to have love for another person that is unchanging. Humans are destined to be born, live and die, in an ever-changing world. We are bound by space and time, which means what we loved yesterday may not be true for tomorrow. The only constant, unchangeable love is the love God has for His created.
Genuine Love is Sacrificial
Genuine love is sacrificial and involves selflessness. Again, this is a difficult concept for humans to display time and time again. It requires giving up something valuable, or significant for the benefit of others without expecting anything in return. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life, John 3:16. Jesus did not just die for the righteous but for all mankind.
The Son loved the Father so much He was prepared to give up His place in glory, come in the form of a man and take the righteous punishment that sinful man deserved, for the wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23. The first priority of the Son was to obey the Father, even if it meant subjecting Himself to the unthinkable, at the hands of mere mortals.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Jesus came that His sinless blood might be shed on Calvary, but no man could take His life except He lay it down, John 10:18. He gave everything He had and took a punishment He did not deserve. Christ sacrificed Himself for us in a cup of agony we cannot begin to imagine.
The life is in the blood, Deuteronomy 12:23. If you shed a person’s blood their life leaves the body. It took the shedding of His blood and the death of the Son of God to provide the way back to fellowship with God, John 14:6. Without the shedding of Christ’s sinless blood there is no forgiveness of sins, Hebrews 9:22.
Through the ultimate sacrifice the Son of God proved He had authority over all things, including life and death. The death and resurrection of the Son of God was a resounding defeat for Satan and all his demonic hordes. It was all about the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages, for our glory. The rulers of this age did not know this, for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory, 1 Corinthians 2:7,8.
Through this great love of God there is power in the name of Jesus and His sinless blood. No longer could Satan con humanity that he had the control. He was proven to be defeated, Ephesians 4:8, for the Son of God conquered the sting of death, 1 Corinthians 15:55-58.
The Prodigal Son
The hero of the parable in Luke 15:11-32 is the father not the son who used up all his inheritance, repented and crawled back home. The father never gave up hope that the son would return home, but kept waiting and watching.
At the will of the Father, Jesus died for every person who has ever lived on this earth. There is no sinner so bad he or she cannot return to the Father, who longs for their love and fellowship. Mankind was created to love and worship the Heavenly Father in a covenantal relationship. This is a relationship that will last into eternity.
The Real Power of Love
On a human level, the real power of love is all about not taking umbrage when you feel you have been treated wrongly. Jesus showed only love to all those who mocked and whipped Him and then hung Him on a cruel wooden cross. Would any of us been able to show such love? Jesus looked on His tormentors with love. He said, ‘Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do’, Luke 23:34.
Calvary was the greatest victory the world has ever seen. Jesus did it for us, that we might share in His glory and receive the gift of eternal life, John 3:16. For all eternity the redeemed of the Lord will show God’s unconditional, unending love, simply by taking our appointed seat in the heavenlies in our Father’s house. Such is the real power of genuine love making Christianity is unique. It deserves only authentic worship.
It is no wonder Jesus exhorted those who follow Him to show that same power of love. We must strive to fulfil His command to us. There is no place for bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness in the life of a believer.
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