The Three L's part 6
When I think about love, one of the most important things--to me--is that it is unconditional. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Because it's not about what we do. It's about who we are... and who God is. God IS love. Love isn't just what He does, it's who He is. In order for God to not love, He would have to somehow not be God. And even if He could do that... He wouldn't. But somehow it seems as if we've turned "love" into "like." Being nice to someone because you like them. Or, worse yet, I'll scratch your back in the hopes that you scratch mine. We use "love" to manipulate and control people. Which is awful. Love is never about getting. Because love IS giving! For God so loved the world He GAVE His only begotten Son. Giving everything you have and everything you are. That's love. Now look at Luke 6:32, "For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them." It's not a prid quo pro. It's not "I'll do for you because you've done for me." It's, "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto thge unthankful and to the evil" (Luke 6:35). If all you're doing is scratching someone's back because they scratched yours--or because you hope they will scratch yours--that's not love. Love comes without qualification or condition. Love is simply letting what's inside you come out by knowing and believing it's in there. Love is simply seeing a need and meeting it--no matter who, what, where, when, why, or how. And the reason this Love is linked (and by linked, I mean is the same thing) as Light and Life... is because the Light shines, showing us how to live the Life of Love! You can't give what you don't have. Right? How could you? And you can only give what you do have. So knowing what you have (and believing that you have it) is vitally important. Letting God love you, and receiving that love, is vitally important. Receiving... so that you can release. And, in the releasing, experience the gift you've been given! Love is giving. If you want to feel love... love somebody! Look at 1 John 4:19, "We love him, because he first loved us." And we love Him BY loving each other! Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. Do it as unto the Lord. Don't worry about whether or not you think someone "deserves" love. Deserve's got nothing to do with it. We love because He first loved us. We love because He has shined His light of love--His life, which is the light of men--on us, and into us, and out of us, and through us! We love because He first loved us. We love because He has given us the love that we can love with. He gave us something, and now we can give it away. Experience it BY giving it away! Love is giving. So instead of being selfish, and trying to use "love" to manipulate or control, or get something from someone... just give what you've got. Be selfless. Let what's inside come out by knowing and believing that it's in there. Fill yourself to overflowing with what you have been filled with. Let God love you, and love Him back by loving people. And don't worry about the rest of it. Don't worry about getting anything. God has already given you everything. Everything He is and everything He has. Everything you need. And that's what life is really all about--having everything you need and nothing that you don't. Being thankful and grateful for what you have... and using what you have. Giving what you have. Loving people with the love that God has loved you with! Living a life in the light!