Love and be Loved

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 1 John 4:18-20 NIV

One of the greatest things to experience in this life, if not the greatest, is to love, and to be loved. This common bond of love has to start in one person first before it can find its way to be returned. Remember your first, and possibly greatest love? One of you had to take the risk, and express that love first. The rest (as they say) is history!

Our verse puts it into perspective, and gets the timeline right. We are able to love, only because He loved us first. Think about it and let it sink in. Before we even knew anything about God or His presence, He loved us!

For those who have known the pure joy of a true bond of human love in this world, just think how much stronger and greater that love will be for our Saviour and all His loved ones, when we get to Heaven. We will see Him as He is, and know again that God really IS love! What a day that will be when we ultimately can “Love and be Loved”.

Love

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:7,8

In the words of the old song, “Love is a many splendored thing”, and how true even today. Love takes many forms, from the deep love of a mother to her new born baby, to the mature love of the old doting couple in the twilight of their years, and all the love we enjoy in between.

Do you remember your first date? Your first kiss? When you proposed? When you were overwhelmed by the feelings of love for your children? These are as nothing compared to the love shown to us by God. We are reminded that, “Anyone who does not love does not know God.” How sad to think that there are many who have never loved, or been able to love, and yet take the name of Christ.

But look at the credentials that God shows when the verse continues, “God is love”. Not almost, or nearly, not even mostly, but God IS love. Nothing less and nothing short of full love for all His creation. Faced with a love like that, our human love pales in comparison, so how can we turn our backs on the intensity of God’s unconditional Love? And yet we can do just that, so why not determine to live a live worthy of the love He shows us, and as the verse says, “ let us love one another, for love is from God”? Then there would be fewer problems in our churches and communities.

Hidden

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 NIV

This old and well worn verse, memorised from Sunday School times, has a depth of meaning. On a surface level, it is an exhortation to learn, and remember Scripture, and commit as much as possible to memory. The reason for this is to give strength when we face tough times and need to know what His Word says to us in that situation. We use our memory to its best advantage while we can.

The psalmist doesn’t use the word memory, or brain, he uses the word ‘heart’ and I think deliberately to give us a deeper insight and meaning which goes beyond our capacity to remember. The heart goes far deeper than our heads, but we don’t remember with our hearts, do we? Or do we?

In these days where we are all living longer, one of the increasing problems we may face is forgetfulness, and in up to 80% of cases, we could develop some kind of mild or severe dementia. Our memory will not always be as alert or useful. We might find ourselves unable to recall the things we did yesterday, but can bring to mind in great detail what we did on our street 50 years ago in our childhood or youth. I think this is the secret of hiding God’s Word in our heart.

If you should ever see signs of memory loss starting in your own life, what would you like to keep in your heart? For my part, I would say the faces and names of my loved ones. My wife, children, grandchildren, friends and that very special friend too. The heart can be a treasure trove of good things, and on top of it all, could and should be God’s Word to keep us in tune with His work in our lives in the past, at present, and into our perhaps unknown future.

Have you seen a saint of God grow old, while memory fades? I have, and my experience is that they kept a glow, when their memory had no reason to make them happy. Without exception, they had hidden God’s Word in their hearts, and when their memory failed, the reserves of the heart kicked in and sustained them until it was time to come face to face with the Author. I pray that my gracious God will allow that same blessing for you and me!