Love: The main thing and the plain thing

"Love is the call.  Love is the transforming power of God... Love is the highest aim, the greatest practice you can cultivate in your soul."
St. John of the Cross, 16th century Spanish Mystic

Jesus was clear.  The Bible is clear.  The Apostle Paul was clear.  The Apostle John is clear. They are united in their clarity regarding the primacy of love.  Jesus would state that the highest priority of life is love (Matthew 22:36-40).  Its not only important, but it is the sign of our authenticity as followers of his (John 13:34-35).  Paul would expand this principle by showing that without love, every other virtue is empty (I Corinthians 13).  Love is not only to be a manifestation of our walk with Jesus, but also our motivation.  John amplifies our understanding of the nature of God by showing us that God is love and that to have fellowship with God, is to have fellowship with love itself (I John 4:8).

Its as if the weight of revelation has been pounding this singular point that life is about experiencing love.  It is not about power, although love is powerful.  Its not about possessions, although love is the greatest thing we can have.  Its not even about yourself, although the love of God demonstrates your incredible value.  No, its all about love and it always has been.

Somewhere and somehow, in our busy lives we lose the forrest through the trees.  We focus on those things are are to be the manifestations of living lovingly, without actually experiencing love.  Jesus said that apart from him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).  We tend to think of this statement in a power dynamic, in that we feel like we need to be connected to Jesus in order to get things accomplished.  However, we need to be connected to Jesus in order to experience love, and that love causes authentic fruitfulness.

The greatest purpose of living is to experience and share love.  To be a part of God's love ethic to a hurting and broken world, is the privilege of living. 

How important is love for you today?  Have you genuinely experienced the love of God in a tangible way?  Are you comfortable assessing your actions, not in the dynamic of right or wrong, effective or ineffective, moral or immoral, but whether it is loving or unloving?

Its all about love, always was, and always will be.

Be blessed today,

Pastor M Traylor

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