Love, Not Enforced by Anyone or Anything but Ignited by an Active and Deliberate Motivation
1) God Eagerly Wants to Reveal His very Heart to Us
| When we talk about the gospel, the most important topic is to know what the true heart of God is. It is crucial because the gospel does not begin with the need of people, but the heart of God. Thus, to form a relationship with God, there is nothing more important than to know the heart of God. The heart of God, which gives us the gospel is love. How do we know the heart of God is love? Unless God reveals his heart to us, we cannot know his heart. However, God eagerly wants to show his heart through the whole history of the Bible. Actually, “the desire of God” to reveal his heart is far greater than “our desire” to know the heart of God. God tried to speak to us, who are the spiritual blind and deaf, through all methods and efforts to make us understand. Finally, God has told everything through Jesus Christ who is the Word of God in the flesh. Therefore, if one does not understand the gospel, one cannot comprehend what the heart of God is. Whenever Apostle Paul prayed for the churches, he prayed for them to understand the heart of God. |
》Scripture Prayer
(Hebrews 1:1-2) Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
(1Corinthians 2:9-12) But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. Let’s thank God for opening the eyes and ears to recognize him who saved us who were spiritually dead, blind and deaf towards God. Without this unconditional love of God, there is no other choice for us but to face the judgment of eternal hell. Let’s thank God for loving us with unconditional, one-sided love towards us, and declare our love for Him with all our heart.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
2. Let’s remember that “the desire of God” to reveal his heart is far greater than “our desire” to know what is the heart of God. God loves us with his everything. Let us pray that we may overcome under all circumstances by our faith in the love of God without fear and anxiety.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)
2) What kind of love does God have?
| The gospel starts from the love of God. Love is the purest unconditional motivation. The true intention of God’s heart is love. Therefore, the gospel does not change according to situation and condition. God never forsakes us in any situation but loves us forever. Even though the history of mankind is full of rebellious and treacherous response toward God, God continues to write the history of unchangeable, one-sided love. Israel is an example of how God loves mankind. Israelites, who were chosen with the perfect love of God, rejected his love with rebellion and betrayal throughout history. However, God never gave up on them. If there was even 0.001% crisis of love from God’s side, we would have not existed in this world today. God loved us unconditionally even when we were steeped in sin, stumbled and fell, and become enemies against God. The love of God is eternal (agape) love. God loves me as if there is only one being in the world. We are the recipients of God pouring out His entire existence. The gospel reveals the absolute and perfect love of God. Thus, only in the gospel, the eternal love of God is found toward us. The love of God is eternal which cannot be limited in any situation and circumstance. From the beginning, God who embraced and created us as his children never erases us from his original form, and he looks at us as the glorious beings who will be recovered by the gospel. If we cannot find the love of God on the Cross that gave his only Son, we will not find the love of God anywhere! |
》Scripture Prayer
(John 3:12-18) If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
(Romans 5:7-11) For one will scarcely die for a righteous person– though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. Have you ever faced hardship or difficulty that made you doubt the love of God? Although God’s love is not visible through our eyes, nor can we feel it, let’s pray trusting in his love and asking for God’s help.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him (1 John 3:1)
2. No one can escape from the love of God, even brutal sinners. Remember the fact that the grace of God can cover all painful situations. Let us jump out from sinful life, fear, disappointment, and hopelessness and run into the love of God.
Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. (Isaiah 49:15)
3) How Do We Love God?
| We were originally created to love God completely and God was the only one to receive that love. However, men decided to leave God and became like prostitutes that have given their hearts away to different gods other than God. Through the gospel of the Cross, God restored us to the original form to love God with all our hearts, mind and strength. The blessing that comes upon those who love the Lord is one overflowing with satisfaction and joy. Let us think about the grace that poured out on those who love the Lord. Those that have discovered the love of God at the Cross do not sway by any circumstance or condition and always rejoice. How can we be dull about the love of God that gave up his only begotten Son to shed all his blood on the Cross? The fact that God gave up his only begotten Son shows God loves everything that is in me. This also means there is also God’s strong desire to accept my everything in Jesus Christ. God’s zeal cannot be stopped. Since God loved me with his everything, he deserves to receive everything of me. The one who has discovered the love of God can love him with all his heart, mind and soul. This is the original form in the image of God that has been restored through the gospel. |
》Scripture Prayer
(Luke 7:36-47) One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven– for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
(Matthew 22:37-40) And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. Let’s give our confession of love to God as get to know the love of God who gave us everything. Perhaps, if we are carrying out our ministry diligently but lost the first love towards Lord, let’s repent and pray to carry out the life and duties in our lives with the purity of first love and passion.
I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. (Revelation 2:3-5)
2. Let’s not give our hearts on the futile things of this world. Let us wholeheartedly love Jesus who is the only object of our love. Also, let’s pray to have overwhelming of satisfaction and joy in Jesus alone.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. (Psalm 73:25-27)
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9)
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