"We love because he first loved us."
1 John 4:19 (NIV)
What is love? Is it that lovely warm feeling you get when you see the people who you love – a husband/ wife or a son or daughter? Most of us have experienced the feeling of butterflies in our stomach when meeting someone new, and the hope and expectation that it will grow into something deeper and longer lasting.
But what about God’s love? God loves each and everyone of us – we have to choose whether we accept his love or carry on not knowing God. He will not love us anymore or less whatever we decide. How fantastic is that! God wants us love him like He loves us but He will not force us, we have to invite God into our lives and then the full richness of His love will be in our hearts for evermore.
The Greeks have many different words for love – philia or storge are the type of love we feel for a friend, or a sister or brother. Eros is the type of romantic love we would have for a partner. Agape is a word for selfless love – the type of love that God gives to us and that we offer in return. No demands, no conditions.
Christians will often share an Agape meal which is an opportunity to come together as a community and share God’s love with each other. What amazing joyous occasions they often are. I have many happy memories of such meals, another reminder of what we have missed during 2020. This Christmas, many of us are having to make difficult decisions about who we spend time with, particularly if we have elderly or vulnerable relatives. Perhaps the greatest gift we can give is not to see them, but see them in the new year when hopefully the vaccine becomes more readily available and we will be able to enjoy such meals again.
1 John chapter 4 verse 19 reads: “we love because He first loved us”. God will always love us – no matter what we do. We don’t have to deserve His love because it is given freely without judgement. God loved us so much that He sent his Son Jesus Christ to live on earth among us, knowing that Jesus would not live until old age as mankind would commit Him to death. God could have saved Jesus but He did not do so, as Jesus’ death on the cross fulfilled God’s love for us, as it freed every one of us from sin.
How do we show God that we love Him? We serve and minister to those in need. Not all of us can do physical jobs like working at a food bank, or volunteer at a drop-in, but everyone of us can serve by giving a friendly smile to the homeless man sat on the street, or bring him a hot drink and spend a moment chatting.
A well-known hymn that is regularly sang at weddings is ‘Love Divine, all loves excelling’. The second line is ‘Joy of Heaven to earth come down’ – Jesus was born on earth to save us all, each and every one of us. We just have to invite Him into our hearts. Will you ask the question this Advent season?
The last two lines of the verse are “visit us with Thy salvation, enter every trembling heart”. God’s love is there for everyone - if we only ask.
God bless
Diane