| “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” |
| —John 3:16 |
Whenever anyone talks about love, we have to carefully examine the context. In our current sex-crazed culture, much of the talk about “love” really refers to erotic love. As important as erotic love is within the bond of marriage between a man and a woman, it is only one small part of the total expanse of genuine love.
In fact, the truest and most lasting love in a marriage comes from a melding of all four types of love: friendship, companionship, erotic, and most importantly of all, God-breathed love. That’s why it’s important for a marriage relationship to have the strength of all four love bonds.
In our spiritual lives, the most relevant and vibrant form of God-breathed love is revealed to us in the act of Jesus dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. This embodiment of love so far exceeds any other example, that it actually defines the essence of God-breathed love. In meeting with the member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, Jesus explained this great miracle of God-breathed love in these very familiar and oft-quoted words, recorded in John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
It is important to note that God’s love is pervasive: He “so loved the world.” Everyone is touched by God’s love. God’s love touches every human being through the lives and testimony of those individuals who follow Jesus. We are Christ’s ambassadors of God-breathed love.
When we gather for worship, we bring together in one place a group, or Body, of believers that have great power to show God’s love because the Holy Spirit dwells within each one of us who believes. This is one of the many reasons why it is critically important that followers of Jesus assign the highest possible priority to attendance at Worship Services.
As we begin another day, let’s remember how magnificently God’s love has impacted our own lives. Let’s live in such a way that we honor the sacrifice that Christ has made in our behalf. And, let’s determine to allow the Holy Spirit to enable us to show God-breathed love to every person who comes in contact with us throughout the day.
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, May 19, 2017
