Tuesday, February 22, 2011

What Is Love?

John 15:12-13
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

What is Love?

I had an excellent converstation with some friends a couple weeks ago. Actually, it was Valentine's Day and we were talking about love. The conversation centered around the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemming. We were debating if what was between them was really love. One of my friends made a statement that stuck in my spirit when she said "love is subjective."

Is it? Is love subjective or is it an absolute? That's a hard question when you think about it. Websters' and every other dictionary defines 'love' but is love really left up to the individual to define?

You may not see making dinner as an act of love, but of obligation. But, if you are the recipient of a home cooked meal after you've worked hard all day, it may well be the highest expression of love at that moment.

So, maybe love is even beyond subjection, but can be conditional too. See, it can get really complicated if you start analyzing it too much.

So I asked the Holy Spirit, what is love? The Word defines greater love, it tells us how Jesus define's love (John 14:15 - keep my commandments, John 21 16-17 - feed my sheep), and even gives a whole chapter on what love in action looks like (I Corinthians 11).

So, what is love?

Love denies self in the preference of others. The others may be closely related or completely unknown, but its a forward moving thing. In it's purest form, it is that which is done solely for the benefit of someone else.

You can define love by a personal standard. You can limit it to just how you feel towards the people close to you and everything in your daily life can be just fine.

But, if you hunger for the real, pure essence of love, I challenge you to define it by the standard Jesus set through His life. Can you love enough to keep His commandments? Can you love enough to feed His sheep, not yours? Can you love enough to deny your own desires and plans in order to enhance the life of those around you? The ones who love you and the ones who do not?

There is love, there is greater love and then there is SO love.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Maybe you don't subscribe to this email. Maybe you receive if from someone who's been trying to get you to go to church. Maybe you're one of my friends on Facebook who do not believe in Christ as the Son of God. Perhaps you read this message and choose to think I and the person who sent this to you, are just a couple of crazy fanatics who need to get a real world view of life. And that's just fine.

Love is subjective. So, I subject my love for you to Christ. I choose to love according to His standard.

There is no greater love than the love of Christ because He laid down His life for friends. There is no real life outside of Christ. Everything else is just a counterfiet. Everything else is a poor imitation of the real and the true essense and expression of love. This is the love I want for you. And this is the love I'll keep preaching about and writing about and sharing as long as I have breath available.

Do you know Him? Oh, taste! You'll see that the Lord is good.

You already know Him? Then show Him how much. Feed His sheep.

Looking for a pasture to work? Look around. Need some sheep feeding instructions? Come to Fellowship. We hold classes weekly.

I John 3:1, 16-18
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Love.

Evg. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.
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Previous Lifeline mailings can also be reached through the church website www.fcchosengeneration.com on the Lifeline link. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com.

You can reach the church at chosen.gen@att.net.


Fellowship Church
Where Passions Become Reality
Because you are a CHOSEN GENERATION!
455 Hwy 138, Ste C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

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