Jesus - The Definition of Love

"I must look at Jesus in order to define Love”.
Please Read: John 13:1-8 ;1 Corinthians 6:11;John 13:34-35;Ephesians 5:26

Dear Friend,

This week’s lesson on Love is an attempt to define love by looking at Jesus. In the thirteenth chapter of the gospel of John,we see Jesus participating in the last Passover meal with His disciples before dying on the cross.Immediately after the supper He kneels down to wash the feet of His disciples. Reference His dialogue with Peter we understand that the feet washing was a spiritual indication that,they were now part of Him.Meaning that everything that belongs to him belongs to them and His nature had become their nature too. Jesus takes ownership of the welfare of His disciples and shares everything that He has with them. Love takes ownership and says you are part of me. In the same way we are all part of one big family, as believers in Christ. Your concern becomes our concern,your need becomes our need, your car becomes our car and so forth.You are my brother and my sister on my heavenly father’s side!

Love cleanses.It does not look for opportunities to point out the faults of others.Instead it looks out for opportunities to cleanse people and make them better.Jesus spoke with words that contained the ability to cleanse His hearers.He did not use derogatory statements.His words were always seasoned with grace, edification,faith and hope .You and I have the same choice to speak the word of God over people that come in contact with us,so that the life and energy in those words will wash and leave them blessed.

Like Jesus ,Love looks for opportunities to serve.By kneeling down to wash His disciples feet ,Jesus was showing us an example of how we are to serve one another.We serve one another by preferring others above us and meeting their needs.The church should therefore be full of servants who are willing to serve the hurting, dying,weak,dysfunctional,messed up,rich,illiterates and literates alike.

Love teaches.Love is light and as such does not leave you confused.It makes time to teach you till you understand so you will be able to take well informed steps in life.It says what it means and it means what it says.Love always takes the time to guide you into the truth.Parents who love their kids make the time to teach and lead them gently by example till they get it right.This process prevents chaos at home,because everyone understands what they need to do.Yelling is not the solution! It takes love to make time to do it.

Finally, Love sacrifices.Jesus showed His love towards us by laying down His life for us.When you learn to sacrifice like Jesus,God will raise you up.He will never leave you,instead He will promote you just as He did for Jesus.When you sacrifice your flesh to treat people right ,just because God says so,you will be blessed with uncommon favor.

I’m back!

God’s Love will always draw you back in fellowship with Him. Once you return to Him , you will find out that He has been waiting for you all the time!

Please Read: John 15:13; Luke 15; Matthew 22:37-39; Jeremiah 31:3; Songs of Solomon 8:6

Dear Friend,
I am quite sure by now you know the kind of love Jesus is referring to when He commands us to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and love our neighbor as ourselves. There are three kinds of love. The one that originates from the heart, one that originates from the head and the one that originates from the hand. Specifically Jesus is referring to the love that originates from the heart which proceeds from God and is preoccupied with the things that pertain to God. That kind of love draws its strength from God and is never-ending. Thus for as long as one is securely connected to God in a moment by moment fellowship, one is sure to receive the grace to love. The love that originates from the head has ‘me’ in mind. Whatever action of love is performed must be beneficial to me. Love that originates from the hand is a response that meets a natural need.

God will never ask you to do something He will not do. The bible says He loves us with an everlasting love. His mercies towards us are new every morning and because His compassion does not fail we are not consumed. He will make sure that we are not defeated under any circumstance. The love that God has for us is that which originates from the heart. It is the kind that it is willing to extend itself even when it is inconvenient to do so. It is willing to deprive itself of things it needs, in order that it may meet the need of another. That kind of love is so strong that it has a lasting impact on its recipients. When people are confronted with the unfailing love of God every barrier, or bondage they may have are broken. Love is as strong as death. Love has the power to put death on hold by transforming weakness into strength!

The story of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15 shows us how nothing we do can separate us from God’s love. The son left the house of his father but he did not leave the father’s heart. Everyone of us has a permanent place in the heart of God our father. No matter what you may have done you can return to Him. Before the prodigal son got to him, the father ran to kiss him and performed a feast to celebrate his return at the dismay of his older brother. You see God is interested in you coming back into fellowship than staying away because of the sins of your flesh. Once you return, He will take care of those weaknesses if you let Him. The father is more concerned about the thousands that are lost and He has been waiting patiently for them to come back.

No matter where you are in life do not let your weaknesses or challenges debar you from experiencing the ever flowing love of God. All you need to do is to let Him know you are back!

The Power of Love- Who is Going to Love Me?

“When you respond in love, you make yourself vulnerable, but you do not have to fear because God’s got you covered”.

Please Read: Genesis 29:22-38; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 1:7; Isaiah 54:5-6.

Dear Friend,

Who is going to love me when I open up to love people who do not appreciate it? This is a sincere cry of uncertainty in the minds and hearts of people who are doing their best to respond in the love of God. And when they do not get the response they expect, over time they either turn to divorce from such relationships or put up with it by living as men pleasers instead of God pleasers. “Thinking that, if I perform better they are going to love me better”. My friend this kind of love we are talking about has nothing to do with the responses of others. This kind of love seeks to please God and seeks approval from God only. It is right to want to be loved, but not everyone has the capacity (especially when they are not believers) to love you the way you want. Jesus Christ did not wait for us to respond to him in love before he went to the cross to lay down his life for us. Instead He encountered harshness from the people of His day before He died. He prayed to the Father to forgive them. It was not about His ungrateful killers or the way he felt, it was about his obedience to the Father. He trusted in the love of the father by walking in love in the midst of undeserved punishment and the father kept His word and raised Him from the dead giving Him a more excellent name. God knows fully well that if you love the way He wants you to, you will become vulnerable. In the eighth chapter of the book of Romans we are seen by the world as sheep to the slaughter when we love according to God’s standards. By walking in God’s love, you release a force to work on your behalf - A force that has all the appearance of weakness, but is stronger than any force that exists. God himself has you covered! He loves you as much as He loves Jesus. I believe Jacob’s wife Leah performed her functions as a faithful wife despite her husband’s inability to show her affection. Her obedience released the open door of God’s favor towards her which made her fruitful in childbearing. Walking in offence and unforgiveness only closes the door of favor towards you.

We are accountable to God when we obey Him and walk in love. Despite the kind of people you may live or work with, your obedience to walk in God’s love is not excused by God. He has provided everything you need to be able to walk in love and provided protection for you. His angels are available to keep you from dashing your foot against the stone. Therefore, do not entertain any fear in responding to others in love, for God’s LOVE is perfect towards you. Amen.

The Power of Love- Dying to love you!

There is no way you can be alive in your flesh and love people. You need to crucify it daily.

Please Read: 1 John 3: 16-24;Matthew 25:34-40;Philippians 2; 3-4;John 12: 24-26 ;Ephesians 6: 8.

Dear Friend,
We are delving deeper into Love. And the more we understand this mystery the more we realize that we cannot love people the way Jesus wants us to, with our own efforts. As we all know everything God requires us to do demands faith. That means you must obey irrespective of how you feel. You may decide not be bothered about this love and choose to be kind to only those who are kind to you as the world does. Yes you have a choice. But if you do not choose the path of love, the devil will take advantage of you at every turn. This is why it is very necessary to do whatever it takes, to crucify your flesh so can choose to walk in love moment by moment. You crucify your flesh by putting pressure on your flesh ,your feelings, thoughts to do what love requires you to do. And as you practice love anytime an opportunity rises, it becomes easier to do each successive time and your flesh becomes accustomed to it. You may be crying or gritting your teeth whilst showing love. Your mind may be telling you how foolish you are but as you focus your attention on pleasing God, the Holy Spirit will overshadow you with great help when you take the step!

Why do we have to love people ? Why can’t I just live by myself so I do not have to deal with all the drama people bring?

You need to know that people are the most valuable creation on earth. God created each one of us in His image and likeness. God needs each one of us to be the channel of His love to people. Every soul is worth more than all the zillions of dollars on the earth. God sees the people of the earth as a precious treasure ,that is why we were the reason for Jesus’ death on the cross. The devil is already beating down on people and telling them they are valueless. They do not need us to beat them down too but to make great investment of love in them, to add value to their lives.

Secondly how you treat your neighbor determines how you treat God! Jesus made it plain in Matthew chapter 25 when he said, “In as much as you did it to the least of my brethren you have done it to me". Thus Jesus is affected by the way we treat people and even the ones we consider ‘nobodies’.

Thirdly we are admonished in the second chapter of Philippians to look out for the interests of others too. Therefore we are not suppose to engage in only things that profits us only. We are to be the first to help our neighbor in need and as we do that God is sure to give us the desires of our heart. That is why we are at our best when we do our best for others. The joy and the rewards the Holy Spirit brings to you is a sign of His approval and that makes you better.
The favor of God is released to you when you put others first because your sacrifice is the seed for abundant power .