Love – the source of Life

An elderly man was asked about the reason for his sadness. He said that his daughter had sent him another parcel. “But that is no reason to be sad,” said his friend with a puzzled look on his face, “don’t you think it is a happy occasion to receive a parcel from your daughter?” “Oh yes,” the old man replied, “but there was no love in it.”

Can we understand this father? From time to time his daughter sent him a parcel, but only as a matter of dutiful routine. What about our Heavenly Father? Do we not send Him a prayer from time to time, or give Him our tithes and offerings? How do we do it? With love, or merely as a matter of dutiful routine because we don’t want to miss out on His blessings? Why do we give Him our time every Sabbath? Why do we go to church? Why do we come before God in our daily worship? For the same reason? Why do we give to charity? “And though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mystery and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have no love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though 1 give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

God is love, and love is of God. A lot has been written about His love, a lot has been spoken about it, and many have experienced it. Those who have experience it, cannot stop talking or writing about it. And the more we think about it, the more we come to the conclusion that His love is truly indescribable.

We merely know the effects of love from 1 Cor. 13, but what love really is, we cannot fathom. Love is a part of God, and therefore it is divine, and divinity just cannot be explained by humanity. 5T p. 740. Although we cannot explain it, yet, by the grace of God, we may experience it. This very love, in its purest form, was the one thing not affected by sin which humanity was granted to take out of paradise. His love, as strong and pure as it ever was gives us the energy to keep us going in our Christian life today. Where would we be without it?

God’s love is our hope, it is our life! Therefore it says in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” We only live – because He loves.
We were created to be channels through which God can send His love into the world. We were not given His love to let it stagnate in our heart. After all, it is only the life of love, that produces the love of life. Everything is working well from God’s side. He is always ready to send us His love, but if we are not willing to pass it on, we become useless channels to God. In fact, according to 1 Corinthians 13:2, if the love of God is not kept alive in us in order to pass it on, “we are nothing”!

These are strong words, but it shows us how important it is to God for us to keep our channels open. Ellen G. White explains this Bible passage in her own way: “No matter how high the profession, he whose heart is not filled with love for God and his fellow men is not a true disciple of Christ. Though he should possess great faith and have power even to work miracles, yet without love his faith would be worthless. He might display genuine love, bestow all his goods to feed the poor, but the act would not commend him to the favor of God. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr’s death, yet, if not actuated by love, he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite.” AA p. 318.

We are meant to pass on His precious gift of love. Passing it on does not mean to simply give it away and miss out on it ourselves. Love is like the fire on a candle. With our own lit candle we can light up many other candles without losing any light of our own. And all the burning candles together can light up a whole area. This is the heavenly principle; the more we give, the more we get in return. We have a lot of opportunities in our lives to light the fire of love in people’s hearts.

Some time ago an actress visited a leprosy village. She saw the nurse kneeling on the ground over a bucket of water, washing the bandages that came off the leprosy sores of one of her patients. The actress turned her head in disgust and said, “1 wouldn’t do what you are doing, not for a million dollars.” The nurse looked up and assured her with a friendly smile on her face: “neither would I, but, what is a million dollars compared to the love of Christ?” 1 believe this nurse kept her channels right open.
Not everybody can do the same things in life, but we are all given our own opportunities to let our light shine in the form of love. If you can’t be a big, bright, beaming “sun”, then be a “star”, but shine!

Love is the strongest medicine for our sin-sick world. It soothes the soul and heals the body beyond belief. “Those who are sick in body are nearly always sick in the soul, and when the soul is sick, the body is made sick1′ as well. MM p. 238. Our heavenly Physician knew exactly what to prescribe. He knew the great demand for love in this world, therefore He said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” to be fully connected to the source of love, in order to be enabled to keep the second great commandment, which is to “love your neighbour as yourself.” Mat. 22:37-39.

If all would adhere to these two commands, we would seldom find a sick person amongst us. We don’t need to perform miracles to heal people in body, soul and spirit. Sometimes just a change of heart in one person can in response change sickness into vibrant health in another, especially if these two people are close to each other.

Ellen G. White said that in the time to come there will be so many sick people on earth, that there won’t be enough healthy people around to take care of the sick. When we compare her statement with what Jesus predicted about the signs of the end time, in Mathew 24:12, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold”, we understand why there will be so many sick people in this world, and sad to say, our churches are not excluded.

Foremost, it is love that keeps us healthy in body, soul and spirit. It is love that gives us emotional stability. It gives us strength to face and to bear life’s burdens patiently. Love is like a powerful glue that keeps our marriages happily together and also our families, as well as our churches. Without love, everything is falling apart, even our relationship with God.

And furthermore, to grow in love is the only thing that will prepare us for the latter rain and for a life with God eternally. Many people believe that obedience to the Ten Commandments is the most important thing in a Christian’s preparation for eternal life, but, we can obey without loving, but we never can love without obeying.

A lot of articles have been written by church members about perfection and obedience, but only seldom is the love of God, and the love for God put forwards as a tool to reach that perfection. We have to come to terms with the fact that love is the driving force behind obedience, and without love, there is no perfection!

The apostle John goes even so far as to say that “Through the union and communion with Him, love has been brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, with assurance and boldness to face Him, because as He is, so are we in this world.” I John 4:17, Amplified Bible.

To love means to be Christlike.
To be just like Him; what a glorious thought. When we have grown in love to perfection, we will not need to be afraid of God or man. “Whenever we maintain ourselves in the atmosphere of love, it follows that we must be maintaining ourselves in the presence of God.” SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 668.

Are we obeying God without love like the Scribes and Pharisees did in the time of the Old Testament, whom Jesus sadly had to rebuke for being hypocrites? The only people who were rebuked by Christ, over and over again, were those hypocrites, who may have kept the law to perfection in the eyes of the people, even invented new laws with which to burden their fellow men, and yet, they had not love or compassion, and therefore failed miserably in the eyes of God. They pretended to be so concerned about everyone’s exterior cleanliness and righteousness, but did not see and/or care the least about the filth and wickedness inside themselves, which was actually caused by a lack of love. Luke 11:39-46.

It is interesting to see that while Jesus lived here on earth, He never used His authority to judge or condemn anyone who was overcome by weaknesses or sin. He knew only too well condemnation is not a remedy for sin. John 12:47. He did not intimidate the sinner, nor did he put the pressure on through guilt or fear to make him do His will, because He knew that “only by love is love awakened.” DA p. 22.
We say that Jesus is our example in all things. In order to eternally be with Him, we first have to desire to become like Him; just like He was here on earth. He was not only fully obedient to His Father in keeping the Commandments, but He was also fully obedient in keeping His channel right open, through which God could send His love into the world. Jesus Christ knew that He was the only one in the whole universe, who, through His death, could seal the salvation of this world. But before that, throughout His life, He loved the people in this world out of the bondage of sin, and in this, He became our greatest example.

When I think of Peter, after he denied Jesus three times, his heart was crushed with the heavy burden of sin. Ellen G. White said that at that moment, what would have hindered him to follow in Judas’ footsteps and hang himself? But “at the same time Peter’s eyes were drawn to his Master. In that gentle countenance he read deep pity and sorrow, but there was no anger there. The sight of that pale, suffering face, those quivering lips, that look of compassion and forgiveness, pierced his heart like an arrow. Conscience was around. … A tide of memories rushed over him. The Saviour’s tender mercy, His kindness and longsuffering, His gentleness and patience toward His erring disciples, – all was remembered.” DA p. 713

It took but one look of love from Jesus, combined with the memory of His loving
character, to change Peter’s life around. “The look of Christ assured him of pardon. Now his self-assertions repeated.
Henceforth he followed his Lord in self-denial and self-sacrifice. He was a partaker of Christ’s sufferings, and when Christ shall sit upon the throne of His glory, Peter will be a partaker in His glory.” COL, p. 154. Peter experienced first hand the truly indescribable, life-giving power of love.

The Bible is filled with those examples of Christ’s love toward His fellow human
beings. He loved them all; even if some of them were not exceptionally loveable themselves. But then, no one needs the love of God more than those who have none to give.

May God grant us all the willingness (Philippians 2:13) to open our channel, to pass on the life-giving love to light up the world around us. “Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave! Some poor fainting, struggling seaman you may rescue, you may save.” (Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy – Hymnal p. 628)