Our Month of LOVE
Mark 12:28-31; 1 Corinthians 13:1-10
What is love? Love is doing what is best for another no matter what it costs you. This statement can be broken into three distinct parts;
First, ‘love is doing’. It is an action. In Mark 12:29-31, we are commanded to love God and to love our neighbour as ourselves; and in Matthew 5:43-48, we are commanded to love even our enemies. This is not about a feeling, because you cannot command feelings. Love is in doing.
Second, ‘what is best for another’. Love is to want and to do the very best for another person; a commitment to their wellbeing. It is about saying “yes” if their request is for their good and saying “no” if their request is not for their good. This is why parents discipline their children out of love, rather than grant requests that enable harmful behaviour.
The third part of the statement about love is ‘no matter what it costs you’. This tells us that love can be costly. It involves sacrifice and service and it is often painful. God demonstrated this in John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. This is how we know what love is and how God showed His love among us – 1 John 3:16, 1 John 4:9-10.
God is love and He loves you more than you can imagine. He is absolutely committed to doing what is best for you. It is your duty to love Him in return, no matter what it costs you.
I pray that God will give you the grace to love as He expects you to love, in Jesus Christ’s mighty name.
Happy new month. Shalom.
……Pastor Adeoti