And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13
In our quest for freedom we look to Christ. When He died on the cross He released us from the bondage of sin. It's our acceptance of Him that ultimately sets us free. But being free and living free may not always be the same. So how do we live free? I think we start with love. When we love we emulate the very nature of God. God is love! Since God is all-powerful and God is love can we conclude that love is - well - if not all-powerful, then at least very, very powerful? Think about what love can do. Love draws people towards it. It connects people with a purpose. It motivates people to action. It lightens burdens. It heals people hearts. It takes away pain. It empathizes. It makes people feel safe. It gives people strength. It gives people hope. Do you see the similarities between love and God?
Love (God) changes our lives and the way we live them. Love empowers us. When we know that someone "has our back" or will never give up or abandon us, we live differently. We live free. We live more boldly because we feel safe. We may not always win our battles but at least we know we have someone continually by our side. We're never alone. That's the kind of freedom love brings to the table. And we can't get that freedom from anyone except Christ. Allowing God's love to take a hold of us - allowing it to transform our thoughts and our actions is a key step in breaking through the chains that bind us. When you obtain your freedom you become empowered. (If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31)
We talk all the time about God's love. We certainly accept it mentally as fact but do we accept it emotionally. Do we fully understand the depth of God's love for us? (And when I say "us" I mean you and me individually. I don't mean "us" collectively.) Do I get how much He loves me? Do you get how much He loves you?
I was reading a commentary about God's love in dealing with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When they sinned, God had every right to "zap" them out of existence. He could have started over with two new people. Or He could have exiled them and never spoke to them again. But this is not what God did. They were His creation - His children and He loved them. Even though their sin separated them (and us) from God, He never stopped wanting to reestablish a loving relationship with them. And He never stops wanting a relationship with us.
God's desire is for us to be with Him. That desire is clearly shown in John chapter 17 (one of my favorite passages). Jesus is praying in the garden of Gethsemane. He is about to be taken and crucified. Despite His anguish over what He knows is about to happen to Him, He doesn't pray only for Himself. He prays for the ones He is about to leave behind. First He prays for the disciples and then for us.
"My prayer is not for them alone (disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." (vs 20-24)
Did you catch that? He wants us to be with Him where He is. There is something truly special about the fact that the Son of Man was praying for you and me (and still does). His love expressed through the pain of leaving us behind and the hope of seeing us again.
One of the most quoted verses in the Bible, of course, is John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son." God does love the world but I believe His love goes deeper than that. I am utterly convinced the depth of God's love is so strong that even if I was the only sinner on earth to save, He would still allow His son to die for me. Not because I'm worthy but because He loves me that much. That's a love that should not be taken lightly. That's a love that empowers me to love more.
Never doubt God's love for you. Accept it. Run with it. Nurture it. And most importantly - share it! I don't believe God wants us to love simply because it feels nice or because it's the right thing to do. I believe He wants us to love others because it is the single most effective way to demonstrate to others who God is. How can you share God with someone if you don't know who He is? (Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. 1 John 4:8) Loving freely will give you freedom in return.
