Appealing Love

Because "love" these days has become a generic term, God's love can seem vague and nondescript.  Love often is a product of perspective formed according to our judgments.  While some of these judgments may spring from scripture, many assumptions of what love must be come from the wisdom of the flesh.  The flesh cannot know or understand the love of God except God reveal it because it is a spiritually discerned truth.  Hollywood has tried to paint a picture of love through film, but it is woefully lacking.  The message Hollywood is peddling about love is basically this:  love is a feeling of desire consummated in a sexual relationship.  Love has been divorced from God or morality.  Sex has been removed from the context and sanctity of marriage God ordained.  The world's idea of love sticks close to the satanic principle of "Do what thou wilt" instead of the biblical "Do God's will."

We see a description of God's love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:  "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."  Can you imagine God's love being the model for government, business, and family?  That day will someday come when Christ ushers in His kingdom.  Christ's love is to be the defining attribute of the church:  people will know we are Christians by our love.  Unfortunately, the church in general is not often commended for great love.  This brings me great sadness and is a poor representation of God.  But let me add, the love of Christ does not look like what the world calls love.  The world thinks love is permissive, soft, careless, evolving, and immoral - by biblical standards.  God's love is sacrificial, gracious, unconditional, and active towards all.  God's love is holy and righteous.  Man's love springs from love of self and depends upon selfish parameters.  Whether to love is based upon what he wants and what he receives from the deal.  True love is only discovered when we receive the love of God and abide therein.

Last night I read a passage which holds forth a practical aspect of God's love.  All of God's love is practical and meant to be lived out, by the way!  Paul writes in Philemon 1:8-9:  "Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, ⁹ yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you--being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ..."  The law contained many commands and demands for God's people to obey.  Paul had every right because of his role, age, and status in the Christian community to make demands.  He could have commanded that Philemon do what was right.  Instead of being heavy-handed, love compelled him to appeal to Philemon.  There is a big difference between "commanding" and "appealing."  Man's love is all about fairness.  God's love is all about grace.  It does not force or demand.  God's love entreats and invites.  These verses helped me to better grasp what God's love looks like.  It does not say, "Do this or else!"  It says, "Because God loves you, please do this."

In 2 Corinthians 5:14 Paul also writes, "For the love of Christ constrains us..."  I used to think this only meant, "Because I love God I will do something."  That is a lower meaning of the passage.  The feelings of love I muster up ebbs and flows according to my circumstances.  My mood or physical health affects my desire to demonstrate love for God and others.  But the love of Christ - His love demonstrated towards me when He died in my place on the cross - that love never changes.  It is still as pure, holy, righteous, and wonderful as it ever was.  It is love that appears even more brilliant in my worst circumstances.  Indeed, my appreciation of the love of God for sinners like me actually grows over time as I begin to better grasp it!  The more we recognise how much God loves us the more we will love Him.  As our maturity continues in faith, God's love will find more practical release through our lives to the people all around us.

Let us walk in God's love.  Instead of commanding or demanding, let us appeal and entreat.  Let us reach out to all without partiality, for God's love has been thus revealed to us through Christ.