From The Pastor's Desk
The Power and Importance of Love
It’s safe to say that love is one of the most used words in our English language but it’s also safe to say that love is one of our most confusing words. We say, “I love popcorn and hot dogs” and in the same breath, “I love my mother or my spouse.” For a period, we’re head over heels in love and then only to fall out of love and eventually the cycle starts all over again. Some have even posed the question, “can I love someone I believe I hate”? For some, there’s the complicated emotion within that is screaming—I hate you—please don’t leave me! Sounds pretty confusing, don’t you agree?
Gary Chapman, in his book – The 5 Love Languages states, “Psychologists have concluded that the need to feel loved is a primary human emotional need. For love we climb mountains, cross seas, traverse desert sands, and endure untold hardships. Without love mountains become unclimbable, seas uncrossable, deserts unbearable, and hardships our lot in life.”
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul emphasizes the importance of unity in the church while bringing clarity to spiritual gifts. He emphasizes the importance of each member in the body of Christ. He then concludes the chapter in verse 31 with, “And yet I show you a more excellent way.” 1 Corinthians 13 opens with the importance (or excellent way) of love over any spiritual gifts; addressing what love is and what love is not; how love behaves and how love does not behave. There’s the comparative ranking of 3 important characteristics in the life of a person---faith, hope and love----the greatest of the three is love! Chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians—opens with – “Pursue love”! This literally means to chase after love!
When we read those verses, it doesn’t sound so complicated, difficult or risky as long as we’re talking about loving somebody who’s lovable and lovely; as long as we’re talking about loving someone who loves us. However, when I compare other scriptural references addressing the power and importance of love, I’m convinced the Lord is not just encouraging us to love people who love us but admonishing us to choose to love the ones that seem unbearable to love. Here are a few verses to confirm how the Lord is calling us to abnormal acts of love.
· Luke 6: 27-28 Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.
· Luke 6:31-32 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
· 1 John 4:9-12 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation (sacrifice) for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
We can admit that there have been times that we have been unlovable and unlovely but God still loves us. Thank God for faith and hope—but we can thank God the more for the greater of these, love; for love never fails.
To Him Be Glory,
Roy Newman, Senior Pastor