The Nature of Love
1 John 4:7-8
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
God chose to be love. Think about that statement. God had a choice, you know. He didn't have to be love. He could have been anything He chose. But He chose to be love... for you and for me.
We choose to be His children. Yes, it's correct that He chooses us first (1 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:10-11; Colossians 3:12; John 6:44 NIV), but we must choose to accept the free gift of His love and salvation. When the Holy Spirit begins to woo us, we must choose to listen. And once we have accepted Christ, we must choose to allow the Spirit to work in us. We choose whether we will be obedient or disobedient. If we had no choice, we would merely be puppets dancing on God's string. He does not want that. If that were the case, there would be none who would turn their backs on Him. Every person ever born would be a Christian. But God wants us to come to Him of our own free will, turning our backs on all else in sacrifice for Him... the same way He did for us. Our acceptance of Jesus' love is our first lesson in learning to be more like Him.
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Once we have accepted His love and His nurturing, only then can we begin to demonstrate genuine love to those around us. because the natural man does not have the capability of loving God's way. It is only through the knowledge and understanding attained by being a recipient of this kind of love that we can give this kind of love back. And in some cases, it is only by allowing God to love through us that we can demonstrate His love. because God's love is an unnatural love for man. The egocentric beings that we are do not have the capacity, on their own, to give true, unconditional love to others - especially when those others treat us in hateful ways.
Begin today to demonstrate God's unnatural love to those around you. Love them in spite of themselves.
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