We have been discussing love, and God is Love. This week I would like to consider how and why Mankind Needs Love.
In fact, love is our one great need! That was the very thing that Jesus came to accomplish: to restore love to this sin sick world. To restore love to me and you! And when man sinned, why was it that he sinned? He sought self instead of God. That is the simple truth! It always comes back to self, doesn’t it? Adam at once blames Eve for his sin. Just that quick sin destroys the love in their hearts. And then we see in just a few short years Cain murders his brother Able. Again and again since then we have seen how sin has robbed the world of love. Now, we do see glimpses of love shine through even after all the damage. But one of the worst things sin did to mankind was to make us selfish. Because, selfishness cannot love. Wherever we see self poke up it’s ugly head, true love is destroyed. Thankfully Jesus came down from heaven to show us what true love from the Father looks like. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” Jesus came to show us what love really is, and lived a life of love here upon this dark world. He showed us true compassion even to His enemies, and died for a world that really just wanted it to be all about them. Jesus Spirit of love came to banish selfishness and envy, pride and self promotion, and says, “I will give you the abundant life. I will put in your hearts the Spirit of love.”
The book that I am using as an outline for this study, Absolute Surrender puts it this way,
“And what was the preparation for the promise of the Holy Spirit? You know that promise as found in the fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel. But remember what precedes in the thirteenth chapter. Before Christ promised the Holy Spirit, He have a new commandment, and about that new commandment He said wonderful things. One thing was: “Even as I have loved you, so Love ye one another.” To them His dying love was to be the only law of their conduct and intercourse with each other. What a message to those fisherman, to those men full of pride and selfishness! “Learn to love each other,” said Christ, “as I have loved you.” And by the grace of God they did it. When Pentecost came, they were of one heart and one soul. Christ did it for them.” Page 24
Friends, my only hope is if Jesus does it for me! Jesus has called us to dwell and walk in love. He tells us that if a man hates you, love them anyway! True love from Jesus cannot be conquered by anything or anybody. The more someone hates us the more love triumphs through it all and the more we show off Jesus to the world. This is the love that Jesus asked His disciples and us to show to a sin sick world.
It was Jesus who said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Jesus is telling us, “I give you a badge, and that badge is Love.” The only way that people will truly see Jesus, is that we wear this badge of love.
Friends, let’s ask Jesus to do this for us to completely surrender ourselves to Him, so He can give us this badge of love.
I love you!
Brad
In fact, love is our one great need! That was the very thing that Jesus came to accomplish: to restore love to this sin sick world. To restore love to me and you! And when man sinned, why was it that he sinned? He sought self instead of God. That is the simple truth! It always comes back to self, doesn’t it? Adam at once blames Eve for his sin. Just that quick sin destroys the love in their hearts. And then we see in just a few short years Cain murders his brother Able. Again and again since then we have seen how sin has robbed the world of love. Now, we do see glimpses of love shine through even after all the damage. But one of the worst things sin did to mankind was to make us selfish. Because, selfishness cannot love. Wherever we see self poke up it’s ugly head, true love is destroyed. Thankfully Jesus came down from heaven to show us what true love from the Father looks like. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” Jesus came to show us what love really is, and lived a life of love here upon this dark world. He showed us true compassion even to His enemies, and died for a world that really just wanted it to be all about them. Jesus Spirit of love came to banish selfishness and envy, pride and self promotion, and says, “I will give you the abundant life. I will put in your hearts the Spirit of love.”
The book that I am using as an outline for this study, Absolute Surrender puts it this way,
“And what was the preparation for the promise of the Holy Spirit? You know that promise as found in the fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel. But remember what precedes in the thirteenth chapter. Before Christ promised the Holy Spirit, He have a new commandment, and about that new commandment He said wonderful things. One thing was: “Even as I have loved you, so Love ye one another.” To them His dying love was to be the only law of their conduct and intercourse with each other. What a message to those fisherman, to those men full of pride and selfishness! “Learn to love each other,” said Christ, “as I have loved you.” And by the grace of God they did it. When Pentecost came, they were of one heart and one soul. Christ did it for them.” Page 24
Friends, my only hope is if Jesus does it for me! Jesus has called us to dwell and walk in love. He tells us that if a man hates you, love them anyway! True love from Jesus cannot be conquered by anything or anybody. The more someone hates us the more love triumphs through it all and the more we show off Jesus to the world. This is the love that Jesus asked His disciples and us to show to a sin sick world.
It was Jesus who said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Jesus is telling us, “I give you a badge, and that badge is Love.” The only way that people will truly see Jesus, is that we wear this badge of love.
Friends, let’s ask Jesus to do this for us to completely surrender ourselves to Him, so He can give us this badge of love.
I love you!
Brad
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