As
we have been saying, we disciples are intended to be yeast that
leavens the whole dough .... making disciples to the ends of the
earth. And the Lord gives the World the right to judge that we are
His disciples by our love. Explicitly “By this all will know
that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John
13:35). In other words part of the DNA of a “disciple indeed”
(John 8:31) is love. There are three different Greek words in
Scripture that are translated “love” in English. A little overly
simplistically they are eros, or erotic and romantic love, phileo or
friendship love, and finally agapao. This last word is found only in
the Bible and the writing of the Church. It is the unconditional love
of God, the love that lead Christ to undergo suffering and death in
order to redeem sinful mankind (John 3:16). And it is with this love
that the World will know we are His disciples, and with which we are
commanded to love one another (John 13:35; 15:12).
Scripture tells us that
“God is love (agapao)” (1 John 4:16). What this is saying, is
that the very essence of God is extravagant unconditional love. It is
part of His DNA, and it is to be part of ours as disciples (John
13:35 again). In 1 John 4:19 we read “We love (agapao) because He
first loved (agapao) us.” Some translations have “We love Him
...,” but “Him” is not in the best readings. Certainly we
love Him too, but taken together these verses are saying that the
source of this extravagant love is God, and our ability to love in
this way comes only as we respond to the overwhelming extravagance of
His agape love. But clearly not all Christians exhibit this, and
those that do, may not be consistent in displaying it. And that is
why He commands us to “abide in My
(agapao) love” (John 15:9).
But what does it mean
to abide in His love? The very next verse (v 10) tells us part of it.
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in
My love.” God's agape love is unconditional, but it is not
codependent, it is not an enabling love. God's agape love is tough
love when it needs to be, allowing us to suffer the consequences of
our poor choices (Galatians 6:7). This love is righteously jealous,
and is as strong as death (Song 8:6 LXX). For God's agape love to
grow in us, it has to be returned, and this is why He commands us to
love (agape) Him with all we are and have (Luke 10:27). But love
also grows as we spend time (abide) with each other and Him. Since He
is love and the source of love, we will know that love more and more
as we choose to be still before Him in the secret place, and know
that He is God (Psalm 46:10; 91:1).
Father, help us in this
busy season to take the time to meditate on the reason for the
season. Help us to love one another as You have loved us, and help
us to stay vitally connected to You in the midst of all the business
and the tinsel and the trimmings and the turkey. Please help those
Lord for whom this season is so very very difficult. Draw them and us
into Your hope and peace and joy and love in Jesus Name Amen
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