davidbowerkingwood

There Seems to be so Little Love in the World!

Today we seem to be surrounded by irrational hate and anger; the news is filled with accounts of riots, demonstrations and death all over the world. Historically respected universities have become hotbeds of protests against Israel and hatred of the Jews.

Atrocities committed against the Jews are either ignored or justified by those committed to supporting Hamas. There is a strange refusal by those involved to even recognize what is happening in Israel. There seems to be a pervasive veil of deception that covers the minds of those who see no evil in the brutal actions of Hamas.

None of this should come as a surprise; the Bible warns us of the problems Christians will face in the last days. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 it is written:

“3 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. ² For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. ³ They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. ⁴ They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. ⁵ They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”

Since the First Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, the world has been divided into two distinct types of human beings; those who are spiritually alive by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, and those who are spiritually dead because of their failure to receive Jesus Christ as Savior.

Those who are spiritually dead are easily influenced by Satanic deception and will follow wherever it leads. When one accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, they become a new creation, are born again and indwelt by God, the Holy Spirit, who resurrects their dead spirits to eternal life and becomes part of them forever.

Christians can live a life controlled by God, the Holy Spirit; at these times the Christian can manifest the power of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23 where it is written:

“²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Love, First on the List!

God is love and when we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, love comes as part of the package and not just any love, but God’s love! English is rather vague about the word love, one can love bananas which means the peeling is discarded and the contents eaten, one can love houses, cars, or clothes and keep or discard them as needed.

The Koine Greek, in which the New Testament was written, is vastly more precise; there is even a special word for God’s love, ἀγάπην, which is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 where it is written:

“⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

There is one thing conspicuous by it’s absence, there is no reference to emotional attraction, it’s all about doing. Godly love is something you do, not how you feel. We are not required to experience positive emotions about someone in order to love them with a Godly love!

The King James translation provides a better understanding of the meaning of the word when it uses the English word charity to translate the Greek word, ἀγάπην.

⁴ Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

⁵ Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

⁶ Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

⁷ Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Although we might have difficulty generating positive feelings toward some, we can maintain charitable attitudes toward everyone.

Over the years, I’ve encountered people I didn’t like but I have never wished anyone ill; there is a big difference between not particularly liking someone and hoping something bad would happen to them!

I’m painfully aware of all my failures over the years, but I give myself the benefit of a charitable attitude; on reflection, I am certainly offended by some of the things I have done, but I believe I’ll try to do better in the future and give myself the benefit of the doubt. I love myself even though I don’t approve of everything I have done!

This, I believe, is loving your neighbor as yourself; cut them some slack too!

The Christian Responsibility to Love

Christians are God’s representatives to his creation; we are responsible to God to faithully serve as God’s representative to all of God’s creatures both great and small! In Galatians 2:20 the Bible reveals our situation.

^“20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

While none of us could accomplish this on our own, God is not asking us to do it alone, after all it is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us and the works are his, not ours!

⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7

 ^“7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.” 2 Corinthians 5:7