“What the world needs now is love, sweet love. That is one thing that there is just too little of…” went the words to a sixties hit song. I know I can use all the love I can get. But what is the nature of real love? So many in the world offer their love today in order to get something back. There are many an unwed mother who can attest to that. None of us want to be used, when all we want is to be loved.
Apostle Paul wrote about the nature of REAL love, the love of God in 1 Corinthians 13 and many of us can recited it by heart. It is often even read at weddings. Here he is talking about love unfeigned and without hypocrisy… unselfish love that only God can give. God so loved the world that He GAVE. That is what love does, it gives and gives and gives even when it gets nothing in return.
But what did God’s love give to the world? He sent His love in the form of His only Son, knowing full well that most of the world’s population would not receive Him or His love. We who are humans are such a sad lot and without Christ we are only waxing worse in our selfish and hateful ways. The good news is that if we will but yield to the love of God in His Son, we can be changed. We can be given a NEW heart that is filled with His love as well and be found to be instruments of that love to the world through Christ who lives within us.
But is love, God? Is love to be something separate from God and to become a god in His place? I think you know the answer. Yet, many well meaning people so elevate love that you hardly hear about the instrument of His love for the world, Jesus Christ. You cannot have real love without abiding IN the Son of God. In the economy of God, apart from Him we can do nothing. Our love without Christ in us is nothing and at best self seeking.
T. Austin-Sparks in his book, “The Great Transition from One Humanity to Another” wrote,
… here we come back again to the place of the Holy Spirit in the Letters to the Corinthians, especially the First Letter. As we look through the letter, what is the full, ultimate, supreme function of the Holy Spirit?—“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, …though I give all my goods to the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, I have nothing.” The supreme work of the Holy Spirit is the Character of Jesus Christ, not love as a thing. You can put on love as a thing. You can put that on, and it can be a pretension, a way of behaving and speaking. Beloved, people can come and put their hand on your shoulder and be treacherous behind your back by pointing out your faults to someone else. It must be “unfeigned love” the apostle says. “Unfeigned, unhypocritical, love of the brethren”: it is the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (Joh 3:16-17 KJ2000)
“Lord Jesus, open our hearts completely to you and your love. Amen”
A Wilderness Voice 
He who loves is born of God and knows God, he who does not love does not know God. Every desire to be loved by another human is a form of greed. Many falsely interpret John’s leaning upon Jesus’ breast, as John being special, different from the others, somehow . I’ve heard sermons of how Jesus had a special love for John. How can this be? I know Him. He is not partial to any. Closness in intimacy and intensity does not mean greedily special. One Christian I know once preached to me this message, he said “remember Russell, if you were the only person on earth Jesus would have come to die for you alone, you alone, he loves you, you, you alone.” Well, it’s not what Father taught me, not at all! The love inside me, the only authentic love that exists, is Fathers love for His son. He loved the “world” yes, but his wrath also abides upon them. His love is not “personal” as sensual America says. We know that we have come to know Him because we love the brethren. He loves His own son in another living stone. I love Michael because of Jesus the son who manifests through Him. He who loves is born of God and knows God. When others show and speak in the Life, love, His love, wells up inside me. I’ve been taught to never expect any kind of human centered love. This is fleshly love that leads to dissapointment and ruin. We are told that marrage is to meet our love needs! Oh the lies we have been fed. Please correct me if I’m coming up short.
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Bro. Michael, I applaud the post. John tells us that God is love. I believe that God’s Love is God. I also believe that the English language uses the word love to describe many things that is not God’s Love and is not God, and whatever is meant by the word love in those settings – it is not our God.
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I really like this..thanks for the encouragement! Truly it was the love I looked for my whole life…Blessings!
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Thanks, Michael. I am not into pulpiteering, but this teaching by John Reisinger is pretty good. God loves us the way we are, but He loves us too much to let us stay this way. His goal is to have many sons who live unto Him in the glory of His son. May we submit to all His works even with His chastening for He does so out of love. We love Him because He first loved us.
Michael
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Amen, Michael.
“That is what love does, it gives and gives and gives even when it gets nothing in return.”
That’s the true nature of spiritual love, isn’t it?
Reading the song lyrics you quoted at the very beginning of your entry, I was reminded of another hit song from 1963 you probably know as well:
Peter, Paul & Mary – If I Had A Hammer
If I had a hammer,
I’d hammer in the morning
I’d hammer in the evening,
All over this land
I’d hammer out danger,
I’d hammer out a warning,
I’d hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
If I had a bell,
I’d ring it in the morning,
I’d ring it in the evening,
All over this land
I’d ring out danger,
I’d ring out a warning
I’d ring out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
If I had a song,
I’d sing it in the morning,
I’d sing it in the evening,
All over this land
I’d sing out danger,
I’d sing out a warning
I’d sing out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
Well I got a hammer,
And I got a bell,
And I got a song to sing, all over this land.
It’s the hammer of Justice,
It’s the bell of Freedom,
It’s the song about Love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
It’s the hammer of Justice,
It’s the bell of Freedom,
It’s the song about Love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
Indeed, I’d hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters, too. 😉
Your sister,
Susanne
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn 13:34-35 – ESV)
🙂
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