Commit to memory: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
The love of Christ is an unconditional, real, lasting, true and powerful emotion felt for another individual manifesting itself in deep affection to such a fellow. God expects us as Christians that the virtue of His personality called love when not displayed or delivered dies in the same womb that conceived it, hence the urgency to express it to a dying world.
Love in this light is not just sweet talk, lip service, abstract philosophy or a mere theological notion. It is and must be practical and expressed. Why? The virtue of love finds meaning only in practical expression. You cannot say you love without expression (e.g giving) but you can give without loving the one you profess by lip service you love (John 3:16). See what John 13:1 NLT says:
“Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.”
Do you desire to experience and express this love that was dominant in Christ? Then the Lord desires and demands that wherever you are, in any capacity you can and available to you that you show practical love to everyone around you and whoever you meet in your life’s exodus starting with your family members, the household of faith and then the world around you. Let people rejoice and bless God with the testimony that they saw Jesus when they met you, and you became an Angel to them in the season of their deepest need. May your life define this lot in Jesus name.
In our commit to memory today, the Lord layed down His love for mankind and as such His heartfelt desire is that if we must love like Him, then we must lay down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16). In this wise, what He is saying is that our love must be unconditional. It is a command and decree by the Lord you must keep. Some characteristics of the love of Christ are: Giving, witnessing, absolute obedience, kindness, goodness etc. For example, you cannot say that until you have something big and huge enough before you can give or be a blessing to people within and around your reach, a better approach would be to give in the days of little beginnings as this will increase in the season of plenty.
Reflection: You can do all things and great things, but without love- you have done nothing (not a thing).
Prayer Lines: Father, in my words and deeds give me the irresistible strength to love like Jesus.