Last week we began a study of the values of the children of the Kingdom and the importance of committing to these values in order to influence the world for Jesus. This week, I would want us to look at the first of these values – Love.
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”.
The first core value mentioned in the scripture above is Love. This kind of love is called ‘Agapē’ in Greek. It means love without reason – the God kind of love. It is who God is in essence. Love therefore is divine. It is not mere feeling as the world understands it to mean, but rather a decision that does not depend on the worthiness or otherwise of the object of love. God loved us and sent His Son to die for us while we were still sinners (John 3:16).
We love God because He first loved us. Jesus showed us what it means to love Him in John 14:21: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. ‘Agapē’ is not a feeling but action – doing the word of God. Loving God is doing His word.
If you are born again, love is a fruit of your recreated spirit, and so you have the capacity in your spirit to love God –to act on his commandments. Even though love is in your spirit, it will not show on the outside automatically – you need to yield to, and practise love.
Walking in love towards others is an act of faith; many times people’s actions towards us may make it difficult to walk in love towards them. But because love is our new nature we can walk in love towards them, if we yield to that new nature.
Love has multifaceted capacities; in first Corinthians 13 we see what it really means to practically walk in love towards others.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (Amplified Bible)
4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God\’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].
Can you imagine what manner of men we would be if we allowed love to dominate our hearts and in our souls? How many marriages would still be standing had Agape (the God-kind of love) been given its place in our lives?
Walking in love is the new commandment of the New Testament (i.e. New will of God)-John 13:20.
The more you confess and meditate on this unconditional love the more you are dominated by it. Thus, it will become the driving force in your life and make you a master over all the circumstances of life. God becomes your very strength. This is the secret of victorious living.