Here in Brazil, June is Valentine’s month. Dating is the initial step towards one day having a marriage and building a family, which is the greatest ministry. Love is something that needs to be watered and taken care of. Once it exists, it is necessary that we work to keep it firm and grounded.
Loving like Christ
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ… For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.”
Ephesians 5:21-26
Bible shows how to keep love firm and grounded: Loving as Christ loved the church.
Loving as He loved us is quite challenging and carries with it a weight and a very deep meaning. Jesus is the main and greatest example of a sacrificial and unconditional love. His love for us carries with it the full meaning of redemption and surrender.
God calls us to love in the same way, not only within a loving relationship, but also with our brothers and sisters and people around us.
This way of loving is not based on expecting some return or reward. The main objective is to serve, care for and bless someone with everything that the Father pours out on us, not just keeping it in our hearts, but dividing, overflowing and sharing.
Starting with forgiveness
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Much of Christ’s love for the church comes through releasing forgiveness. We are human and we make mistakes in so many areas! If we don’t know how to forgive, there’s no room left to love. Unforgiveness is a place full of resentment, anger, sadness and thoughts that take away our peace. It’s a place that constantly reminds us of the past and fills us with fear of what’s to come in the future.
In forgiveness lives peace. Through him we are freed from heartache and resentment. The love of Christ understands our weaknesses, shortcomings and mistakes. This love is always above any difficulty, because it gives itself for the other and puts itself in the other’s place.
Christ put himself so much in our place, he had so much compassion, that he faced a painful death that was ours. This love is difficult, but not impossible, if based and strengthened in Him.
Cord of three strands
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:12
As we strive to love like Christ, we understand that this form of love goes far beyond our human capabilities.
It is a love that can only be lived and experienced through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It can only exist through the supernatural, reflecting God’s love upon us.
This passage from Ecclesiastes 4 makes clear how the Lord strengthens not only each one individually, but also relationships and fellowship. When our relationships, whatever they may be, are based on the Holy Spirit, they don’t break down. When we build a cord of three strands, our foundation is no longer in people, taking risks because of our weaknesses, but in Him who is perfect, holy and just.
The first bend in that cord needs to be the love of God. That’s what the bible says about loving Him above all else, because only then will we be able to start and found our relationships in Him. It is from the presence of the Father’s love in us that we can respect, forgive, endure… We need to be under His hand so that His Perfect Love is above everything else.
