Eros
love is physical and human; Phileo love is what we feel for our friends; but
Agape love comes from God. It does not depend on how we feel or even if we like
the person or not. Agape is contingent only on Christ within us. God loved us
while we were still vile sinners, and He calls us to allow Him to use us to love
others in this same way (Romans
5:8).
We
love God, because he first loved us and gave Himself for us as a ransom for our
sins (1
Timothy 2:6).
If we truly love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). God’s love for us
does not depend on our lovableness, and does not require that we act in a loving
manner. God’s love is unconditional; however, any negative behavior on our part
will break His heart.
God
would not love us any more if we walked in perfection before Him, and He does
not love us any less if we fail unexpectedly (1 John 3:6; Hebrews 10:26). His love for us is
contingent upon His dependability, not on our deportment. Christ’s death on the
cross is love in action (John
3:16). If
we accept this sacrifice as the payment for our sins, we are justified and have
peace with God (Romans
5:1).
Although
we all deserve an eternity of condemnation, at the moment of our salvation, our
spirit is reborn and our over-riding desire for sin dies. We are in Christ, and
He is now our whole life (Colossians
3:3-4). As
authentic Believers, we no longer need to wonder if we are pleasing God or
doing enough to earn His love, because Christ’s sacrifice already made us an acceptable
member of His beloved family (Ephesians 1:6).
Prayer:
Father
God, due to the saving work of Christ on the cross, we can draw near to You and
enjoy Your overwhelming love, blessings and presence every moment of every day (James 4:8). We enjoy our continual
fellowship with You. Our sins are forgiven and Christ in us makes us suitable
to fellowship with You (Galatians
3:16).
Remind us to set aside time for You every day and to remain in Your presence all day long regardless of the duties of family and employment. We give You all of the praise, glory and honor for everything we are, everything we accomplish and everything we have in this life.
Remind us to set aside time for You every day and to remain in Your presence all day long regardless of the duties of family and employment. We give You all of the praise, glory and honor for everything we are, everything we accomplish and everything we have in this life.
Thought
for the Day:
We
enjoy the privilege of being near to God, because we made Him our sovereign
Lord; He is our refuge, and we enjoy His overwhelming love and all of His
generous benefits. – Psalm 73:28, 103:2
