The Last Word On Love
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Love means giving yourself. It is patterned on the example of God himself.
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God gave his only Son to individuals deserving far less. In words of beauty and depth, Paul calls on grateful believers to love in return.
Jonathan Edwards probes the Bible’s greatest chapter on love.
WALK WITH JONATHAN EDWARDS
“A true respect for either God or man consists in love. If a man sincerely loves God, it will lead him to show all proper respect to him; and men need no other motivation to show each other all the respect that is due than the motivation of love.
“Love for God will lead a man to honor him, worship and adore him, and heartily acknowledge his greatness, glory, and dominion.
“And so it will lead to acts of obedience to God; for the servant that loves his master—like the citizen that loves his ruler—will be inclined to proper subjection.
“Love will lead us to praise God for the mercies we receive from him. Love will incline our hearts to submit to the will of God, for we are more willing that the will of those we love should be done than the will of others.
“True affection for God will lead us to acknowledge God’s right and worthiness to govern.
“The true Christian is willing to admit that God is worthy of this, and it is with delight that he casts himself before the Most High, because of his sincere love for him.”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
Today “I love” often means “I want” or “I desire.” A fallen world has twisted the meaning of love 180 degrees.
As both Jonathan Edwards and Paul suggest, love is what you give, not what you get.
Loving God means giving yourself to God.
When was the last time you told your heavenly Father, “I love you”?
