Love 2

I wrote last week on the subject of love.  This is such an important matter that it seems appropriate to spend this session on some further thoughts.  This is not a complicated subject, but one that we all can contemplate and seek for a higher level.

1 Peter 1:22,23 gives us some ideas to ponder:  "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever..."

The first part, "..in sincere love of the brethren.." uses love with the Greek word "phileo." This is a brotherly love kind of thing, a love like you would feel for your siblings.  This is a noble love...and one that we should feel toward our brothers and sisters in Christ, members of the family of Christ.

The second part of this passage is in 1 Peter, "..love one another fervently with a pure heart...." uses love with the Greek word "Agape."  Agape love goes further in our relationship to one another.  In agape love we want the best for the other person.  We may not know the other person, at least not well; we may not like the other person.  The other person may even be our enemy, remembering that Jesus taught us to love our enemies.  This of course, is hard teaching.  But we can agape even the worst.

And this brings us to the thought that we might have to love the unlovable.  Romans 5:5-8 shows us that we aren't the first to face this situation.  "..the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Christ died for us....sinners....ungodly.  Thus, it isn't too much for us to love those who aren't lovable.

And Philippians 2:4,5 instructs:  "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus..."  We can do this! 

Thank you for reading.  I hope your week is great!