Beloved, let us love one another, for love is
from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does
not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was
made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we
might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he
loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God
so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we
love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7-12 ESV).
One of the many joys of being a pastor
is to officiate at weddings. Weddings come in all sizes and shapes, but most of
them have one thing in common: love. Before officiating at a wedding, I
meet with the engaged couple for premarital counseling. Part of our discussions
center on the reasons why they are getting married. Love always plays a
significant role in these reasons. And yet that little word love can mean many
different things. Love is a noun, and love is a verb. We fall in love, and we
love being in love. We love people and animals, sports and ice cream, and
certain types of weather! Love songs are one of the most popular types of
music. So, when we consider that love is the fruit of the Spirit, we need to be
careful to understand the Scripture.
In our reading today, John writes, “This
is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins.” True love is sacrificial action. It seeks
to bless others. It seeks the best interests of others. The more we value God’s
saving love for us, the more the Spirit moves us to share that love with others
in both our words and our deeds. We should exemplify that kind of love toward
all people. Even when it seems we have nothing in common, our calling is to
love as Jesus loved. How much of that kind of fruit do you have today?
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