“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God;
and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7)
The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul had many different ways to describe the changes that begin
to occur in a person after they have placed their trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Paul was a very Jewish man who often wrote in the Hebrew style,
utilizing what we might call “comparisons” to show us what he meant. In
telling us what something WAS, he would also help our understanding by showing
us what it was NOT.
An example of the changes that grow in those who trust in the Lord, is
in Galatians Five, where we are shown those who “are led
by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18). First we see what is NOT expected
in the Lord's people, including: “immorality, impurity, sensuality,
idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes,
dissensions, factions, envyings, drunkenness, carousings,” and so on
(Galatians 5:19-21). These are the natural attitudes and actions of mankind –
Paul called them “works of the flesh.”
After he told us clearly what life in the Spirit is NOT, Paul then shows what
it IS, including: “love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (and)
self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). The world’s values are confusing and a mixture of the two types of
behavior is found in many who HAVE said "yes" to Christ. “Immorality,
impurity (and) sensuality” are often
confused with love. There are professing Christians who have been immoral,
struggle with
impure thoughts, and are tempted by sensual behavior… They have made enemies,
became jealous and got into arguments. Some have fallen into the “carousings” described by Paul. But there is much more. Christians are simply people, but the difference is that we are being changed by the Holy Spirit into those who
at last discover a whole new dimension of what “love” is all
about.
Those who have received the love of God in Christ Jesus have launched
into a new way of thinking, in which we are changed and directed by the Lord. This
is a process in which we are, as Paul said, being “led by
the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18) into new life. First we are forgiven
through the blood of Christ, and then through the grace of God, our lives begin
to change. We grow in the love of the Lord.
This new way includes a surprising kind of love that is more than
human, for it is much deeper and more profound. It is the love that comes from
God. Salvation in Christ is like a seed planted in a garden. Small and hidden at
first, nurtured by the living water of God and encouraged by the light of the
Son; it begins to grow into something beautiful, and then hesitantly, small at
first, we begin to bear “fruit” that is useful in
the kingdom of God.
The ways this love is expressed are interesting. The well-known American
professor and pastor, Dr. Tony Campolo, told of attending a funeral. But he made
a mistake and ended up in the wrong funeral parlor. The body in the coffin was
an elderly man and his widow was the only mourner in attendance. The
widow seemed to be so lonely that Dr. Campolo decided to stay for the funeral of
the elderly man. Later, he even drove with her to the cemetery. After the
graveside service was completed, Dr. Campolo admitted to the widow that he had
not known her husband. “I thought as much,” replied
the widow, “but it really doesn’t matter. You’ll never,
ever know what this means to me.”
My wife and I are privileged to be part of what is called “grief support,” through an organization called “New Hope Grief Support Community.” Like Dr. Campolo’s
act, what is done for a grieving person is not complicated, and it is not about
following some kind of “formula.” For the most part, the grieving person simply
needs someone to show up, to be there. A hug, a phone call, a card is
important, even if you really don’t know what to write or say. The person who
loved deeply and then lost, is lonely. It’s as though part of yourself has been amputated. Someone essential is missing and you can’t
replace the one who is gone, but you can be there for the one who misses them.
The other day I was speaking with a man, a veteran of
the armed services, who belongs to a group that attends funerals. They learn
about deceased veterans who have no family to attend the memorial service. These men and
women do attend; and where appropriate, they participate in both the chapel
services and then go to the graveside as well. They don’t personally know the
deceased and were not known by them, but they reveal the love of God through the caring act of simply being there.
We see this in prison ministry. The prisoner has lost everything. His or her
career, home, family, reputation, civil liberties, that feeling of safety and
a hope for a better tomorrow – it’s all gone. Jesus, who knows the needs of
those who are in distress, told us that visiting those who are in need is just
as if you had visited God Himself. He said, inasmuch as
you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me”
(Matthew 25:35-45).
And how far do we go in helping them? The author of the Book of
Hebrews said about such ministry, “Remember the prisoners
(in prayer and in visits) as if chained with them”
(Hebrews 13:3). It's true for ALL that God calls us to - we are to be
there, resonate with their pain, and extend God’s love. We go as the Lord
leads.
Have you wondered why you’ve had great losses in your OWN life? Paul said
about suffering: “Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us
in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any
trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God”
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4). If you have lost a loved one, that terrible event is like
you have been given a graduate degree in grief. You KNOW how to lovingly help
others who have had similar loss. You are being healed to become a healer.
Our Scripture for today is: “Beloved, let us love one
another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God”
(1 John 4:7). The Greek word “agape” is used here
and it speaks of the unselfish love that comes, not only through the experience
of our own loss, but also it reflects the work of the Holy Spirit in us. It
is the love of God in Christ through ordinary people. Let’s ask Him to
give us that “agape” love of God:
Lord, I come to You now and receive Your “agape” love. I trust in
You. Look to my thoughts and behavior. Heal and change me and then direct me, so
I may share Your love with those who are in need. In Jesus Name. Amen.
