I John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
The greatest gift this world has ever been or will be given is remembered this week and weekend. The life of our Lord and Savior that was offered as a substitute, a precious Sacrifice to atone for the sin of mankind.
Why? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. (John 3:16) The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ was a result of the great love for His creation (“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth...all things were created by him, and for him:” Colossians 1:16), God so loved His creation that He gave His life to save those He created for Himself. In the early hours of that midweek day our Lord took upon Himself a cross to bear. That cross contained the sins of the entire world (“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10).
The greatest price, began at noon on that day, when, for a three hour span God the Father and God the Son, for the only time in eternity, were Separate one from another. God’s eyes are purer than our eyes and unable to look upon iniquity or sin, therefore in order for Christ to pay the world’s sin debt He must ‘become sin’ for us, the very One that knew NO sin, became sin on the cross (Galatians 3.13) to pay a debt He neither owed, but one we were incapable of paying. Our Lord was wrapped in grave clothes and placed in a tomb never to be used, just before sundown.
Three days would past as another sunset would come to fruition when our mighty Lord cast off those grave clothes, gather Himself up, rolled away the stone and stepped out of that sepulcher. In three days time, the Lord proclaim victory over sin, death and the grave, hallelujah!
Friend, we realize that sin requires a blood sacrifice as payment in full (Hebrews 9.22). Consequently, the Lord did not ‘spill’ His blood as if in some random act, but rather He Shed His blood upon the cross of Calvary. In His death, burial and resurrection all may freely choose His free gift and receive life everlasting. His blood may have been shed on Golgotha’s hill, but His love was shed abroad unto all mankind. The Lord’s example of love is seen in a gift; for to love is to give.
The love of God is shed abroad through His wonderful gift given to humanity, we, His disciples and believers on Jesus Christ are given over one to another to love one another. There are many ways we can love one another: prayer, lifting, helping, listening, protecting, etc. Love is a gift that feeds upon is Creator, “for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”. The closer we draw to the Lord (that changes not) the more desire we possess to love one another. The more we lean on and learn of Him that died for us yet rose again, the more we develop a desire to emulate His heart and actions. As believers in Christ, we have crucified the flesh and take no pleasure in a hurting, injured or fallen brother/sister in Christ. To know God is to know love and ‘every one that loveth is born of God’. My love for my wife is what it is because of the great love my Savior had for me. I could not love my wife correctly, nor my children without first knowing the love of Christ. The same with my brethren, I can love them, seek to help them especially in the darkest hours of their life because on the darkest day of Christ’s life, He loved me.
There are opportunities, many times on a daily basis where we can exercise the love that is shed abroad in the lives of all around us, especially those of the household of faith. Jesus Christ gave His life because He loved us, let us also give ourselves one to another so the love of God may be seen and known throughout our community and the world.
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God”
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