Love With Everything Within And Without (1)

[Zac Loh]

THE LANGUAGE OF DIVINE RELATIONSHIP

Noun

Faith, Hope and Love

Verb

Believe, Anticipate and Give

The Cycle Of Love

There were four different original Greek words used in the Bible for `love’.

`Eros’ love relationship is the sensual love relationship.

`Storge’ love relationship is the filial love relationship as parents toward their children and vice versa.

`Phileo’ love relationship is the friendship love relationship that develops through time.

`Agape’ love relationship is the divine love relationship. The root meaning of `agape’ is `affection or benevolence’, which is derived from the act of charity. In the basic sense, the love of God is `giving’.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16; underline mine)

We love God by obeying the first greatest commandment:

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandment is: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31; underline mine)

Jesus has stated it unequivocally.

The first should be the first, and the second should be following the first. This means that we love God above others and ourselves, because the first greatest commandment is to love God, and the second greatest commandment is to love others as ourselves.

Once the first greatest commandment is fulfilled, God will pour our His love into us.

... the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:5b).

The love of God which was poured into our hearts enables us to fulfill the said second greatest commandment i.e. to love others as ourselves. The sequence is such, because we are to love others with God’s divine love and not merely by our own human love (`eros’, `storge’, `phileo’). The `agape’ divine love is superior to any other human love.

The cycle of divine love begins when we love God, and completes when we behave and act-out God’s divine love (which had been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit).

The love of God poured into us, is powerful. This love is supernatural. That’s why the greatest commandment has to be first …and the second has to be second.

The Failure Of Human Love

The following portion of Scripture describes God’s supernatural love.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

We all know first-hand the failure of the human love. Mistaking human love for divine love is quite common. Many Christians fear to love because of bad experiences. They didn’t know that they had been operating in their human love. The love of God `never fail’ (1 Corinthians 13:8). The love of God `casts out fear’ (1 John 4:18).

Allow me to share an interesting testimony because it is related to this writing ministry. I was once held-up from writing for a period of time because I did not have a Personal Computer. Nevertheless, I finally got my PC through the grace of God, which is another testimony altogether.

To appreciate God’s goodness to me during my needy time, I decided to bless my housemate with the use of the PC. But things went a bit out of control when we both wanted to use the PC at the same time (of course, each of us had our priorities!).

I began questioning within myself …how I had to fight for the use of my own PC. I had two sleepless nights because I was filled with angry thoughts!

A close friend advised me to confront her. During this period, I was studying on the subject of love. So, I decided that I was going to love God according to the First Greatest Commandment in order that the divine love of God would flow through me, to her.

My close friend asked me, “what would you tell her?” I said, “I don’t know …but I want the love of God to flow out.”

After that conversation, I became conscious of the love of God whenever I stepped into the apartment.

To cut the long story short, let me state that the matter was settled without me having to confront her at all. And we have a better relationship since then!

Loving The Gift More Than The Giver: The True Story Of Adam And Eve

Adam was destined for success. He was made to success. But Adam disobeyed God.

Adam disobeyed God because of his love for Eve. He loved Eve more than God. He loved the gift more than the Giver.

The irony is that it was God who gave Eve to Adam in the first place. What is the gift that God had given you, which has become equally important (or more important) than God Himself?

Our life partner can be a good possibility. Financial blessing is a great probability. Our God-given ability is high on the list.

The whole point of 1 Corinthians chapter 13 is about loving God more than spiritual gifts, accomplishments and achievements. Chapter 14 began with `Pursue love, and desire spiritual gift.’

It means that when it comes to loving God …go all out for it! And when it comes to spiritual gifts …just ask for them. There is quite a difference between `pursue’ and `desire’.

Paul didn’t say that spiritual gifts were unimportant nor are they unnecessary. If that was the case, then he wouldn’t have labored to teach us about them. His main point was that the spiritual gifts are to be the tools of God’s love.

Love Is The Giving Of Oneself To God

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, (Ephesians 5:25; underline mine)

In essence, love means the giving of ourselves to God.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Jesus had the opportunity to be the greatest earthly king. He had incredible supernatural gifting. His words were tremendously captivating. Moreover, He was commanding a huge following. As a matter of fact, the public expected Him to be the King of Israel leading an empire just as David had. He had the power. He had the ability. But He did not build that empire. Gethsemane was a decisive crossroad. It was hard, but He decided to lose His life.

1. He left the glory of heaven, and manifested Himself as a tiny little baby in a manger (John 1:14; 17:4-5).

2. He removed His divine attributes, and lived on earth as a limited and ordinary human being (Philippians 2:6-8).

3. He was Lord of heaven and earth, still He allowed Himself to be wrongly punished as a shameful criminal (Mark 15:27-28).

4. He, the Creator, endured torture at the hands of the people that He had created and had given life to (John 19).

5. He was the One who knew no sin, and yet became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).

6. He never had a moment of separation from His Father for as long as eternity, but chose to be separated from the Father for our sake (Mark 15:34).

7. He was in hell because of us - the hell which as designed for wicked demons and wretched sinners (Acts 2:31).

God gave His best, so we also must give our best to Him. We are called to be generous to God with our life.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. (Mark 12:30; underline mine)

In other words, the verse commands us to love God with all of ourselves.

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (John 14:23)

Basically, loving God means to accommodate God in our life …by giving what is of us …what is us …and all of us. It means letting God have his way and space totally within us.

that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:21-23)

Love is an exchange: we give ourselves to God, and God gives Himself to us. The more we give ourselves to God, the more He is in us; and the more of ourselves will be like Christ.

In a gist, loving God is giving of ourselves to God so that we can accommodate Him in us until all of ourselves is His …until we become one with Him.