“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
The Best Gift For Any Season: The Gift of Love
I am in a season of my life where I am intentionally asking myself these questions:
What is love?
What does love look like?
What does love mean?
As I’m going through this discernment process, I am now able to recognize this seeking and stirring of my heart comes from the Holy Spirit, God Himself. We are very much inundated with the world and all of its influences: social media, TV shows, movies, books, all of which feed us the world’s definition of love. All of these sources send us a message about what love needs to look like, how we attain it, and how it can heighten our sense of failure when we don’t have “it.”
But are these representations of love what we should strive for? Maybe if it’s a Hallmark Christmas movie…hehehehe.
Why am I defining love within the context of a broken world when the state of our culture has left me feeling empty, discouraged, and even hopeless at times? Over the past 4 months, God has challenged me to truly consider LOVE. Easy concept, right? Right? In my reality, there has been nothing easy about this period of reflection.
In my heart, the agape love of Christ is very different from our human definition. The closest thing my mind can process regarding agape love is from a parental perspective. Every night at bedtime after prayers, my husband and/or I recite this to our kids:
There is nowhere you can go, nothing you can do, nothing you can ever say that would stop mommy and daddy from loving you. Do you know that?
God’s love is unconditional for His children. Do YOU know that? He is offering us the most precious gift we could ever receive, BUT we do have to receive and open this gift. The Christmas season is a time of remembrance and celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, a gift that came to the world to redeem His people back to Him. It is a gift that ended on a cross to cleanse us from our sins. It is a gift that was raised from the dead and promises eternal life in heaven with Him.
A recent sermon by a dear friend, Rev Mark Gooden from First Centenary in Chattanoga, highlights that so often we overlook this gift, push it aside, and leave it to go unnoticed. I personally opened this gift many years ago, but what am I now doing with it? God has called me and all of us to share His love with the world!
Let us remember that His love is perfect and yet requires us to deny ourselves and our own ideas and agenda and demands we lay control over our lives at His feet. It’s not always an emotion but is a command of obedience to accept His love and then go out and share it with others.
Love from Christ is not of this world and never changes with culture. It’s what will completely fulfill our desires. It is not always easy. Jesus makes the point in Luke 24:25-33 that no other relationship compares in importance to our relationship with Christ. Is Christ first in my life? Or am I seeking love from the acceptance of others?
There are so many divisive issues in today’s society. Can I fully love others while not compromising the Truth? Absolutely. Love to me doesn’t mean acceptance but rather showing up, having a relationship, and holding each other accountable to Him. I am called to be the light and not hide it. The Truth is constant and never changing. It is non-negotiable. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide me in how to love in Truth so that I am molded by scripture and not by the world.
Lord,
Please help me focus on Your Gift this Christmas season. Help me not to be overwhelmed by the ways of the world but rather love others faithfully while living in Your Truth.
In Your Name I pray,
Amen
In Him,
Ashley
“This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
~Psalm 118:24
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