“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (KJV) John 15:13

Love is kind, love is patient, love is long suffering and it keeps no record of wrong. Perhaps these are words you are familiar with yet we can all bear witness to the fact that it is easier said, heard or even read than done. According to Ravi Zacharias, the renowned Christian Apologist and Writer, love is the most used and abused epithet in human language. I cannot agree with him any better. Our human experience has taught us that our so called love is in most cases hypocritical and insincere. Even a mother’s love can break too soon.

True love is difficult to give and almost impossible to find. The fact that our love is mainly conditional makes one who seeks to love genuinely a fool in the eyes of society. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13). This man is Jesus! He is the author of genuine love.

Brethren, it is only in the Lord that we can stay and continue in true love (John 15:9-10). Out of that context, our so called love will remain sensual and self – seeking as it is typical of the world. Come to think of it, just look at how relationship/dating has been secularized. Guys, if you truly love that lady you will not seek carnal knowledge of her and afterwards dump her. You will wait and help her to prepare adequately for life and honor her with a beautiful God certified marriage. Ladies, if you truly love him you will play your "gate – keeper" role very well and encourage him to do the honorable thing, instead of seducing him into seeking carnal knowledge of you. That certainly is not love!

Love is indeed hard work. It is not merely an abstract noun but it is a verb, a doing word. No one was born possessing the quality of love by default. It is a conscious effort. Think of this:

So many people walk around with a meaningless life.

They seem half – asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important.

This is because they’re chasing the wrong things.

The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others

Devote yourself to your community around you

And devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.

Tell me, without a personal conscious effort, backed by the Spirit of love, can one lead such a life, especially in times where even our immediate family bonds are broken? When humanity has become more inward looking and increasingly self centered, can we genuinely and unconditionally love? Certainly, man’s effort and will to love will crumble down in these settings. I read somewhere of one who wanted to love genuinely. He prayed to God to strengthen his will to love and do you know the answer to his prayer? God brought troublesome ‘unlovable’ people in his life. It was as if the “Old Man” was saying: “Son, if you are able to love these insufferable beings without complaints, then you have passed the test of genuine love.” If you think love is not hard work then perhaps you do not love genuinely and unconditionally; perhaps your love is conditional and patronizing.

True and genuine love will certainly cause a drain on your resources; it involves some sacrifices without necessarily expecting any reward. Just consider the Author of Love, Jesus Christ. “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in a fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2: 6 – 8). This is the greatest standard of genuine love.  

Concluding, I want you to think about this, a message I got from a friend:

Sunlight pouring down from the sky turns it into a panoply of colours depending on the weather and time.

On the moon however, no matter how much light pours down if you look up, you see darkness.

This is because it has no supporting matter that reflects the light.

Light, unless reflected appears as darkness and so is love.

Reflect God’s love and let the world know that you are His.

 

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