Compiling God's Code

What does it mean when someone says, “God is love?” You hear and see that all the time. God is love. God is love. God is love… I get that. God is good; he loves us, but is that really what the point is? Is it that God loves us? Or is it that since God loves us, we should love others? I know in church and out among Christians, especially on Facebook, you get bombarded all the time with the fact that God loves you. Everything is all right. Send down the rain because God loves you, so he won’t give you more than you can handle. If you view that phrase as God loves you, that act really seems more inward, more about what God is giving to you, which is kind of selfish, in a way, but I know what it feels like to want to be loved, so I understand embracing that view point, and it is a valid point, but just not where I’m going right at this moment.

Let’s look at John, Chapter 4, verses 7-8 (ESV), 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. If you think about God’s love in that perspective, then “God is love” becomes more about loving others instead, but you never really hear that do you. I love you. I, as in me, love you, as in you the person reading these words.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13
English Standard Version (ESV)

Again, you hear this over and over at weddings. You see this on signs, on stickers, on shirts, and on those cute little cartoons from the 70s & 80s that if you gave one to your girlfriend you were sure to get a kiss. Love, love, love. The Beatles said that’s all we need. Most people think of love in terms of a significant other, family, or children. Again, this tends to be more inward because we don’t move outside our close circle, and usually these people tend to love us as well, so you’re not reaching out; you’re more reciprocating. We don’t talk about love for other people, and that’s what I think Jesus wanted us to talk about the most, or I should say, practice the most, because talking about it gets you nothing. Well, it might get you a blog. 🙂

Jesus said that if we can’t even love someone right in front of you, how can you even begin to love God, whom no one has ever seen, John, Chapter 4, verses 20-21 (ESV), 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. He makes a great point, but he should, right; he’s Jesus. But that is easier said than done. We have difficulty loving those closest to us, and as I stated above, that is a lot easier because we are also being shown love in return. Now we’re expected to love strangers, and according to Jesus, even our enemies.

43 You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48
English Standard Version (ESV)

Unfortunately, lots of bad junk gets in the way. We’ve all been there – on the receiving and the giving, and we don’t love those we find different, those on the outside, those who don’t believe like us, those whose skin color doesn’t match our own, or even those that might have committed a sin we find reprehensible; I have certainly been guilty of that one, but Jesus is asking us to look past all that petty crap, and really that’s what it is, crap that gets in the way, that distorts our view, and that clouds our judgment. When it comes down to it, we are all sinners; we all have faults. What you find terrible, I might not and vice versa. My wise wife pointed that out to me in my moment of judgment.

What it all comes down to is that love isn’t something you experience once in a lifetime. Love is something you give every second of every day. Love is not about you; love is about others. Love moves outward towards the world. That’s how God wants us to love. If you move forward with love and show it day in and day out, I believe you will feel more reward than being loved, which seems impossible, but having love in your heart for those outside your circle will give you peace, and what if instead of getting angry and upset, you show patience and hope and love. You will have a lot less stress in your life.

God expects us to just love one another as he loves us, no condemnation, no finger pointing, and no excuses. I have a lot to learn myself, and my journey is just beginning, and I hope that if the moment ever arises and I am face to face with someone who has committed the ultimate sin in my book, I will just love them, so you and I each have our challenges, but thanks to God’s love, we can overcome them.