The Importance of Love
Well in case you are unaware today is Valentine’s Day. The origin of the day is uncertain as there are several stories of how this day came into existence, but the origin is not really that important. We do realize that it is big business for greeting card companies, flower & candy shops and more. All around the world people take this day to tell their special people in their life how much they love them.
I remember as a kid that we would give out valentines to everyone in the classroom. You would get a box of comical cards and sit down at the table and put the names of the kids in your class on them and then take them to school. Then you would come home and open your sack of cards and go through them and then throw them away. It was a very special day for me. I grew up in a home with 3 boys and sweet things were not part of the package. Now once I got married, I had a learning curve to deal with. I found myself with a wife and 3 daughters and all of a sudden Valentine’s day had a new meaning; and much more responsibility as a dad. Vida had to teach me the importance of day and instructed me that for the rest of my life I would be giving Valentines gifts rather I liked it or not. Actually, I have always enjoyed giving my girls things to make them smile. But I will tell you it is different with girls than with boys.
So, I understand about this day of love. But today I want to look at love from another angle or perhaps a different type of love; not the romantic love, but true deep love for one another. Love is very powerful and it is a necessary ingredient, mandatory ingredient in a Christian’s life. Let’s look at a scripture where Jesus is talking about the most important thing of all.
36 Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses? 37 Jesus replied, You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:36-39
The two most important details of our Christian life; is our total and complete love for God and equally important is our love for our neighbors, for those around us. Jesus puts this so powerfully and forceful that we must take notice of it. You see these are important because what is important to your heart is important to you. What your heart loves the most is what you protect the most, spend the most time on, think the most about and it speaks to you daily. Our love for God and others when giving the highest priority in our life will speak to us in every other area of our life. Love is the most important ingredient you can have.
It is this lack of love in the world and yes in the church that causes so many troubles and problems. We just do not understand what true love is and we do not practice it in our daily living. Look at what Jesus says in these following verses:
31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. 32 If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much!
Luke 6:31-33
You see, we understand about loving those who love us. We look at what we do for our families and close friends and we think we are so full of love and this is how they felt and Jesus begin to teach them what love really was. He is saying so what! You love those who love you. You do good to those who do good to you… not a big deal. The sinners of the world do the same thing. Where is that a sacrifice on your part? Where is that costing you anything? Where are you giving anything away there? Then He goes on:
34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. 35 Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Luke 6:34-36
He is painting a picture of how we as Christians are to be. He is wanting us to be like Him. We are to give away our love expecting nothing in return. That does not mean that we do not want to be loved or that we do not want to be appreciated. But it means we love those who will not love us back and we love those who have not done anything to warrant our love. It says we are to love our enemies… not saying strangers. A stranger is a stranger someone who has crossed your path, but an enemy is someone who has hurt you or come against you somehow. This verse tells us that when we do this; we will be acting like we truly are children of the Most High for He is kind to the unthankful and wicked and we are to be compassionate as He is compassionate. Now that paints a different picture than what you see being practiced today. And I will tell you it is something that you cannot do to others if you do not love God first and with everything you have.
You see God loves us and do any of you honestly feel like you deserve His love? God loved you even before you loved Him. God loved you even before you ever attempted to do right. God loved you even before there was a hint that you would ever live for Him.
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8
God loved us and showed His love for us that while we were still a sinner, He sent His Son to die for us. That is amazing. Perhaps some of you here today have not yet given your life to Him, you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord. You have not asked for forgiveness of sins and turned your life over to Him. Well, He has given all that He has for you and to you what more could He do to show His love for you? And with all of that can you think of a reason why you would not want to give your life to Him?
This morning I want you to grasp the importance of love in your life. Not just romantic love or family love for your kids and family, but Godly love for those around you. This will also make you a better dad, mom, wife and husband; a better person all the way around. When you truly love people with a genuine love, a selfless love your world will turn around and so will the world of those around you.
Have you ever been blessed by someone that did something for you when they did not have to? When there was nothing in it for them? How did that make you feel? Did it make you feel warm, blessed, good? Of course it did… you might also have felt skeptical wondering what they really wanted? Sad but that is a common reaction today when we are shown love for no reason because we are not used to seeing it.
The world should see Jesus in us daily. So often times people will not witness because they are afraid but they want the world to see how different that they are, but the problem is the world doesn’t see it; at least not to the degree they need to. But when we truly love God, when we live our life with Him first and we love those around us even though we know they do not deserve it… they do see Jesus. Because it is only though a life committed to Jesus that you could ever live a life like this.
Christians like to stand out by what they don’t do. They show their Christianity by not doing certain things, not talking certain ways, not going to certain places and on and on. They stand out by not doing not by doing! While it is important to abstain from things that are wrong; we need to be standing out for doing what is right as well.
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Romans 12:9-11
Do not pretend to be something that you are not; we need to REALLY love others. We need to stay away from wrong and cling tightly to what is right and love others with a sincere and genuine love. It says here to delight in honoring each other. To take pleasure at showing respect and love. To not be slacking in this but to do it with all of our might enthusiastically.
It is important to be in pursuit of God. To be looking to grow and to mature in the faith. It is awesome to be able to move in the gifting of the Holy Spirit, to be able to know the Word of God, to be someone that knows how to pray for others. To be a leader in the church and making a difference but if you do not have this love we are talking about then it is all for nothing.
1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God¡¦s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
13 Three things will last forever, faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-9, 13
It is awesome to do the things of God. It is great to do the things to make 2010 the best year ever, but if you reach then end of this year or even more importantly the end of your life and you do not have Love then you have failed. 1 Cor 8:3 says that it is the person who loves God is the one that He recognizes.
So today, on this secular day of love let me encourage you to love one another. It will take practice, it will take prayer, it will take patience and it will take persistence; but it will make such a huge difference for the Kingdom of God and isn’t that really what matters.
Remember that God loves you with an unfailing love. He will never forsake you or fail you. He loved you before you even thought about loving Him.
So, in closing, let’s take look at the two things Jesus says is most important:
37 Jesus replied, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39
Is there any reason why this morning that you would not love God with all your heart? With all your soul? And all your mind? Have you accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life? If you died right now… are you 100% sure that you would go to Heaven?
And can you commit to love those around you with your whole heart even though they do not deserve it? Can you love them as yourself?
