The Power of God's Love

Divine Love versus Human Love
The Author and Finisher of Love is Christ Jesus. God’s love is Divine and spirit-filled. Love is the fullness of the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We have not experienced true, authentic, divine love until we give our hearts to the Lord. Some of us believe we have some knowledge of love but is it truly love if it is conditional? Does real love harbor unforgiveness? Does it hold on to grudges? Does it relate to others compassionately and kindly? What is love and how do we achieve love?
The word “agape” in Greek means unconditional love. The kind of love that propelled God to sacrifice His only Son, we know as Jesus Christ. Scripture said: ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’. Jesus is the Word. The Word in John 13:34 commanded that we love one another; as Christ has loved us. First Thessalonians 3:12 tells us that the Lord made us to increase and to abound in love toward others; all people. 2 Peter 1:7 reads “and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love. Love here means godly love not human love. Love is an action, it is a command of God, it is a choice, and it is Spirit activated. Love is obeying God. It is not passive, or complacent or withholding. We demonstrate this love through our words, our thoughts, our actions, our affection and by our choices. When we choose God’s love expression “we are filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19).
As believers, we are already endowed with the nine fruit of the Spirit of God, (see Galatians 5:22-23) and Love is the anchor for all the other fruit. We cannot achieve God’s love without first receiving His love. There must be a response. We love God by our obedience, our faith and complete trust. We love God by accepting His expression of love through the sacrifice of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. John 15:10 says we are to keep the commandments of God, even as Christ did. We are to abide in His love, even as Christ kept His Father’s commandment, and abide in His love. We, too, ought to follow or emulate Jesus, our Lord, (paraphrased). The takeaway of this is: We are commanded to love God and others. Love is a spiritual force and not of the mind or mental arena. Love is active and not passive. Love seeks the best of others. It sets our affection on things above where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Love hates sin not the sinner. Love hates strife, seeks peace and pursues it. Love is humble, not prideful. It hates the darkness and clings to the light. Love is truth and not a lie. Finally, we love each other because we are born of God, and we know God. (Mediate 1 John chapter 4).