In 1 John 4, [vs.7] we are told to love each other. As John talks of God being love, he wrote of agape; the unconditional, giving love. This love can be so very difficult. By nature, it continues on its giving course no matter what the recipient of the love does. If the one that is on the receiving end turns away from the giver, the loves continues in force. The thing is, is that there is nothing that can deter agape love.
Thinking of this kind of “undeterable” love it might remind one of Jesus' words in the sermon on the mount in Matthew, chapter 5, If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. [Matthew 5:39 (NIV)] If that seems outlandish and undoable to anyone, it may well be that that person does not understand agape.
With that in mind, I have been wondering: is this love is beyond the ability of any human? Is it something that only God is capable of?
If that is so, how then can we follow the directive to love each other? The answer is that it is only as we let God live in us that we can love as God does. If we can become a tool in the Master’s hand, a soldier in the arm of the King of Kings, an ambassador for The Great Sovereign, then we can be a channel of the Agape Love that comes from His heart.
It is a giant step to let God live in us, yet it is a simple thing. God as made it simple. Religion makes it difficult. I desire to make it simple.
I think the purpose of Jesus' sacrificial death was to make it simple. He was without sin, yet became sin as He suffered the effect of sin, thus He turned away the wrath of God. As we agree with God that we need Jesus' sacrifice applied to our personal account, we stand forgiven. As our sin is cleaned off our account by Jesus' sacrifice, our being is then opened up for God to live in us. As God lives in us by His Spirit, He shares His abilities with us, and we are thus empowered to love as He does.
