It’s Love That Makes the World Go ‘Round: Part One

Colossians 2: 1 – 3

Jesus said, “If you love Me keep My commandments.” (John 14: 15) He then said, “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, that you love one another.” (John 13: 35)

Loving our kind is easy.

Then Jesus made sure we knew just how big the envelope was by saying, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you …If you love those who love you, what credit have you? For even sinners do the same.” (Luke 6: 27, 28, 32)

Then we are pressed to the wall by a divine definition of love being given in I Corinthians 13. Let’s pull back this veil very slowly for an understanding of all that is said on the subject is dependent on our understanding of what love really is. First, insight as to what love is, then what it isn’t.

Husbands and wives, persons who are dating, and children in relating to friends should not compromise on these facets of love.

WHAT LOVE DOES: It is patient… acts kindly… rejoices in truth… bears all things…believes all things… hopes all things… endures all things.

WHAT LOVE DOES NOT DO: behave rudely… seek its own…get easily provoked…thinks evil…rejoice in iniquity… envy… get proud and puffed up. Having considered this subject just briefly we are already pretty deep.

First, Jesus said if we love Him we will keep His commandments. Then He said a sure sign to others that we are His disciples is that we will love one another. If He had only stopped there! No, He continued by commanding us to love our enemies who hate us and despitefully use us so much that we by doing good to them, blessing them even when they curse us, and praying for them. How?

We must decide that our truths are objective truths. That is, truths coming from an object outside ourselves. That object is Scripture as personified by Jesus. Our truths are not subjective. That is, I as the subject will not base my own beliefs and feelings on my own individual opinions.

Now simplify and apply that. Jesus said love your enemies. That command is difficult to comply with in light of those who despitefully use you. Right? 

That which makes it possible to comply is not merely the cold command to love, but our love for Jesus Christ. If we love Him properly we will want to please Him, the object, from which comes our objective truth, not our own subjective feelings. In effect, we love Him so much we would rather please Him than satisfy our own emotional response. By loving Him, keeping His commands is made easier.

Expressing love for those like us, and those unlike us, and those who don’t like us is made easier if we do so out of loving obedience to Jesus Christ. Such love makes all other forms of love better.