I was recently in a small gathering
of saints, only eight, in which the worship was something
one rarely is privileged to experience. The Lord seemed to
focus on His great love. To put it mildly, it was an awesome
time. During this time the Lord showed me a precious truth.
He showed me, not only how wonderful His love is for us, but
remarkably how wonderful it is that He gave us the capacity
and ability to love Him in return. This is revealed in 1
John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us.”
When God said “Let us make man in
Our image, after Our likeness…” (Gen. 1:26) He did something
He did not do for any other part of His creation. He said
this with regard to no other creature or inanimate thing.
The Scripture declares in Psalm 19:1-3 that {1} “The heavens
declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his
handiwork. {2} Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto
night showeth knowledge. {3} There is no speech nor
language, where their voice is not heard.”
While these things reveal His glory
and His handiwork, they are not made in His image or
likeness. He reserved this for mankind. Only that which is
created in His image and His likeness can respond to Him in
like manner. He created us to respond in love to His love.
While one may serve without the need for a return response,
i.e., as unto the Lord, relationships do require response,
The great commandment is our evidence, for Jesus said (Mat
22:37) “..Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…”
Love is the very essence of our
relationship with Him. He would not command something of us
that He would not give us the capacity and ability to do so.
The indwelling Christ is this capacity and ability, for He
is our life. Love produces works and good deeds , but cannot
be classified as such. It all comes from His great gift of
grace to us. Ephesians 2:4-7 reveals this. {4} “But God, who
is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
{5} Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) {6} And hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus: {7} That in the ages to come he
might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus.”
Love is a matter of the heart, for
He said we were to love Him with all our heart. It is the
great issue of our life. The Word says, (Prov 4:23) “Keep
thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues
of life.” It is the issue between the saints, for the Word
declares that we are to love one another as He loves us.
Once again, I am overwhelmed, for I
realize that I, me, myself do love Him. I also realize that
in this finite state my love for Him may still be sorely
lacking, but I do love Him.
Dear Lord, grant us the grace to
continue to be filled to all the fullness of Your love, and
to love You in return as You love us.
Amen.
