"Love"

The love of God does not impress us unless the word "love" it has some true meaning for us. It is very difficult for many to rejoice in the love of God, especially when things are not going so well in our lives, because the word "love" has no real meaning. We use "love" from "we love pizza" to "we love our family." There is little concrete meaning in the word for us to grasp.

We read verses like, "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (I John 3:16) But the impact of reading such doesn't seem to hit our hearts to change our attitudes and behavior. I am coming to realize that we are filling our minds more with religious chatter which prevents us from digesting the truth of what God speaks. We speak of God's love for us but look how little it really moves us. Recently while dealing with a husband and wife that were separated, I asked if they would be willing to forgive, move back to the cross and let the love of motivate their actions and decisions. They of course agreed in concept because they were religious until it meant that they had to forgive from the heart, let go of the past so the love of God could affect the present. There was no heart, no reality but only hurts of disappointment and bitterness. The laying down of the life of Jesus on their behalf was null and void! The reality was their past witnessing of what each had done to one another. There is no connection to "love."

I know I can't convey what I am thinking today very well but I want you to realize that Christ dying on your behalf was not just Him dying! It was a redeeming death, a "in the place of" death. It took the revealing of the cross to open our eyes to God's love toward us and realize the fathomless depths of the life He calls us into. Too many are making God's love sugary, nice little bits and pieces while the reality is missed and obscure. Some just have difficulty distinguishing between the real "love" of God and the counterfeits offered. It really comes into play when people are separating families, unwilling to yield and forgive, refusing God because of past hurts and so "love" to them becomes nothing more than a word of mere human feelings with no devotion or affect on the heart and little connection to God.