psalm2004.com

Everybody talks about it but only a few really know what it is. 

To come to some understanding we turn to the greatest Book on earth – the Bible.  It is God’s love letter to planet earth. 

Any consideration of love must begin with God.  The testimony of the scripture is that God exemplifies and personifies love. 

Jeremiah 31:3 – The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:  Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love:  therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you. 

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. 

Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

1 John 4:8 – for God is love. 

God by character and nature is love and He most fully expressed that by sending His Son to this world to die for us.  While we cannot fully comprehend it we can receive it.  The songwriter said it in this way:            

“Could we with ink the ocean fill

And were the skies of parchment made           

Were every stalk on earth a quill           

And every man a scribe by trade           

To write the love of God above           

Would drain the ocean dry.” 

And the Bible urges us to love God in return.  Jesus said that we should love the Lord our God with all our hearts, our souls and our minds.  His question for Peter is His question for us, “Do you love Me more than these?” 

That love for Jesus can be expressed in our love for one another.  John said, “everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten by Him.” (1 John 5:1).  He implied that one cannot truly love God and not love His people.  This is the acid test. 

Love’s highest expression is worship.  When Mary’s heart overflowed with love she took her most precious possession, broke it, poured it on His feet and worshipped. 

The crystal clear call of the Holy Spirit to the Bride of Christ is a call to love and worship.  “He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church” (Revelations 2:7). This was said to a church that had left its first love.  The call of the Spirit is a call to passionate intimacy with Jesus.  Will you respond to His call?