The Love of God

What is love? Philosophers cannot explain it, scientists cannot measure it, yet everyone craves love. It starts to fade as soon as you taste it, and we do not appreciate it enough until it is gone. What is this love that we do not let a day pass without talking about it and chasing after it?

Love must have a recipient. Self-love is no love at all, and the opposite of love is not hate, but narcissism. Love always pours out from oneself, yet not all recipients of love can return your favor. I knew a devoted stamp collector, who loved stamps more than his own life. However, the colorful stamps could neither feel his love, nor love him back. Such unrequited love is not full-blown love, because the recipient of your love can neither respond with yea nor nay, and it is entirely up to your own imagination.

Full-blown love only exists between parties both with capacity to love. However, something else can also grow between the two -- hate. Love and hate are twins; just like blessings and curses, they coexist and are mutually dependent. Through the hurt and temptation to hate, we learn to appreciate the beauty and long-suffering of love.

So what is love? The love of an inamorato is sweet, the love of a mother is sacrificial, the love of a friend brings companionship. These different kinds of love are earthly shadows of the true love from above, because God is love. (1 Jn. 4:8 ESV) The Bible teaches us that the essence of love is covenant keeping! Lovers join their hearts together with a covenant; Parents are bond to their children with a covenant of blood; Even friends are counted on for keeping the promise. There is much sweetness and sacrifice in love, but the essence of love is the keeping of a covenant! Heaven and earth may pass away, but the covenant I made will stay true as long as I live, that is love.

Jesus Christ came down to earth and became for us a propitiation for sin, and thus established the New Covenant. This is not a covenant under duress, but whoever willingly accepts this love, enters a divine covenant sealed with the blood of Christ: We promise to keep this covenant as long as we live, to love the Lord and His church, to live for Him and to die for Him. The living God also promises to love us as long as He lives. The covenant-keeping God would by no means permit death to foil His promise, therefore He destroys death for His loved ones so that we may enjoy His covenant love forever!

As the Bible declares, ¹⁴and said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart,” (2 Chr. 6:14 ESV)

Prayer: O Lord! Help us be rooted and grounded in your Great Love, either by life or by death we may love you with worship and love every people crossing our path with service!