Love

What is love?  It cannot be adequately described with words although our minds try to get a wrap on it.  Love is God’s standard of life for God is love.  Love has wonderful benefits and sometimes can be quite costly.  We are commanded to love one another regardless of disagreements or misunderstandings.  Love is gentle by nature but can be firm and tough.  Love is more than an emotion although emotions are a close companion.
Is romance love?  No!  It may well be involved in a romantic relationship but is much deeper and purer than romance.  Romance can change like the weather but love endures, overcomes and willingly pays the price.  Love has components like commitment, forgiveness, tolerance and tenderness.
The only way you can escape love is to go to hell.  Why?  God loves you and regardless of who you are, God wants to be your God and wants you to be His child.  God may not approve of your lifestyle or attitude but He loves you anyway.  He is not willing that any would perish (2 Pet. 3:9).  God is willing to forgive sin, wash away sin and help you to rise above sin but He cannot accept sin.  We all have sinned but God’s provision for us stands ready to help us.  He has made available to us His grace, His mercy, His righteousness, His love, His forgiveness and His Word.  Through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on Calvary’s Cross God has made a way for us to be born again and become new creatures in Christ Jesus.  2Co 5:17 tell us “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Every Christian has been bought with a price (Jesus Christ death on Calvary’s cross) and is under command to love one another.  It is not an option.  Even if you don’t agree with someone or like them, you are commanded by God’s Word to love them.  Someone treat you wrong?  If you do not forgive them you will not be forgiven by God.  Mt 6:15 says
“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”  Sometimes neighbors (professing Christians) become bitter to one another over a property line or a tree or something else that pollutes the love God has placed in their heart.  The devil fans the flames and it continues to fester and grow.  Love is the remedy and God is love and in and through and by Him love will overcome if we will accept it by faith and then act on it.  How is it with you?
Maranatha!