Do you understand Agape Love?
I’ve come here a few times to talk about how the word of God generates real changes in our hearts.
These changes start within us and, without forcing it, spill over onto other people. Thus, we become channels of blessings in the lives of others. For we have been blessed to bless.
Was born of him
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
I want to start by talking about the importance of focusing on blessing, not receiving blessings.
“But why should I love?”. Simple, because He loved you first. Whoever is born of love is love. A bird does not give birth to a cat. If we are children of God, we are also filled with love, for we are children of Love.
I know that sometimes we can’t connect with certain people because they are very different from us in some points, so we end up being closer to others with whom we identify more. Just like some people might have the same feeling about us. And that’s okay.
But this love I’m talking about goes beyond that, it is Agape love, the love of God. We, as children of one Father, love our brothers and sisters and must take care of each other, pray for each other and give ourselves for each other. And this is done blindfolded, loving above all else.
Overflows from us
“For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own“.
2 Corinthians 8:3
In the 2nd letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells how the church in Macedonia, despite being in a situation of poverty, was able to act with mercy and generously. Even under a domineering and unequal government, they acted like a family with everything they had, not just what was left.
We must be based on Christ, just like this church in the days of the Roman Empire.
If we must love because we were generated by love, even more so because we see Christ, God himself sent, physically, emotionally and spiritually pitying people. He is Who we must use as a base to learn to donate to each other above any human feeling.
But it is worth mentioning that we can only give what we already have in us. We need to be strong in Him to bring love to others.
But to overflow…
…we need to seek to fulfill ourselves
“And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us”.
2 Coríntios 8:5
We live in a society where it is possible to see in great evidence the individualism, an enormous “I” centrism. But at the same time, we can also observe an important movement in relation to personal care that can collaborate with community life.
The importance and search for therapies, for example, has increased a lot in recent years. The desire to know yourself, understand your feelings, limits, desires, temperaments, difficulties and facilities has also increased.
Knowing yourself is very important, because through this we take better care of ourselves and, by taking better care of our heart, we can replicate this care to others. That’s why we are not called just to receive the Father’s blessings, but to take what we receive to the people close to us. We love because He first loved us, and we are only able to love our neighbor when we love who we are and the identity we have received from Him.
God made no mistake in creating you, and through your life, other lives will be blessed.
by
Rapha Abreu
Rapha Abreu é Jornalista e Produtora cultural, e faz parte da equipe de marketing, redação e produção de conteúdo da Mr. Rocco.
