Choices – Part 5
Choose Love
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 13; Galatians 6:7; 1 Corinthians 13:
Introduction
This message is Part five of my series “Choices” and I want to encourage you to “Choose Love.” Now you may be wondering what love has to do with our choices and our being in a race according to our foundational Scripture from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. My answer is “Everything!” Read these words which we have been reading since we began this New Year: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus; not with uncertainty. Thus I fight; not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
Now, ask yourself why? Why would Paul recommend that we restrict our freedoms, curtail our lusts and desires, and gage the impact of our actions on others versus just doing what we want to do when we want to do it? He said this because of love. The love of Christ was flowing through him in such an enormous way that he wanted everyone he came into contact with to share that love. Remember, Paul was imprisoning and killing Christians prior to his conversion so what made him want to now become one and desire that every person would accept Christ too? It was the love of God flowing through him.
Do you recall the story of Peter denying knowing and being a disciple of Christ as recorded in John chapter thirteen? Peter was telling Jesus that he would be willing to die for Him and Jesus told Peter that that very night he would deny Him three times before the cock crowed. Peter did exactly as Jesus had told him and denied Christ that night three times. In chapter twenty-one of the book of John, Jesus having risen from the dead questioned Peter in front of His disciples. He asked Peter three times if he (Peter) loved Him. Through the interaction Peter became frustrated, but his admission of confirmation of his love for Christ was genuine. With each answer he gave Jesus he was told to take care of Jesus’ sheep. In other words, Peter was going to walk in a pastoral ministry – but it started with an acknowledgement of his love and attachment to Jesus. Our love for Christ is why we do what we do and it started first with God’s love for us.
John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” When you read the Old Testament, you see the love that God poured out on those who sought Him. He had compassion on those who served Him and love Him. But God knew that man needed a Savior, that we could never measure up or live up to our potential. Because He loved us so, He sent us His only begotten Son that through His death we could have a relationship with Him. He sacrificed His Son so that we could live! This is the highest expression of love of which we can conceive. A parent who would give up his only son to die for others who are guilty, if this could or might be done, would show higher love than could be manifested in any other way. So it shows the depth of the love of God, that He was willing to give His only Son into the hands of sinful men that He might be slain, and thus redeem them from eternal sorrow. This is why we are here today. That is why we have chosen to run in this race that we are running in. That is why we are trying to save live – because the love of God dwells within each of us. God loved us and because we are experiencing His love in our lives we should want others to experience that same love. We must put His love in action through our lives.
I. Love In Action
Turn with me to First Corinthians chapter thirteen. This chapter is thought to be the “Love” chapter of the Bible because of its content. Let’s begin reading at verse one. “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
Let me give you a quick summary of what we just read and I can sum it up in nine words: If you do not have love, nothing else matters! Love is defined as “to feel tender affection for somebody; desire; show kindness.” This sounds good, but what is missing is this fact: love is a choice! We choose to love or not love. When someone tells you that they love you, it’s because they have “chosen” to love you. Love starts with a choice. There is no cupid flying around and shooting people in the rear with and arrow and all of a sudden they are in love with someone else. Love is a choice! I have always been dumbfounded when someone says that “they fell out of love” after they become disillusioned with the person. Think about it. When I was a teenager I fell in and out of love several times – at least I thought that is what it was. I do not think we “fall in” love per se. In reality, we do not “fall in” love as if we had no choice in the matter, we choose to love the person we are in a relationship with. We spend time with an individual and our “affections” for them blossoms into love until they do something and we choose to no longer love them – falling out of love. There have been people who have been married for many years and divorce because they grew apart – the love was not constantly fueled so a choice was made to end the marriage. This is important because we are commanded to love one another. Our race is defined by love.
II. Recognized By Our Love
Whenever I go to Tennessee and some older person sees me, they always call me by my grandfather’s name. They would say, “You’re a Lockridge” aren’t you. It does not matter that my father last name was Johnson and he married my mother, they recognized me and called me by my mother’s maiden name. This always interested me because it was like my father did not exist and the only name that I had was Lockridge. In reality, that IS the way it is for Christians! We should be known by the love that we have for the world – regardless of what our last names are and where we live. That should be the defining name for which we are known. Consider what Jesus said in the following verses:
John 13:34: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." In this Scripture Jesus instructed His disciples to love one another and through this love people would know that they were His disciples. The defining characteristic of all of our races is love. It’s why we are here and why we seeking to win others for Christ. We should be known as Christians because of the love that resides within us. Now how is this love exhibited? Consider what Jesus said in Matthew 5:44.
Matthew 5:44: "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” If ever there was a way to demonstrate the love of God within you, it would be encapsulated in this verse – how we demonstrate true love to our enemies. Some people would say “I love them with the love of the Lord” but I do not want to be around them. Well it’s impossible to demonstrate the love of the Lord to someone do you not want to be around. We have as many excuses as there are days to not truly love those who persecute us, but love is what defines us. If we were truly able to accomplish this, then we would bring life to 1 Peter 4:8 which says, “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” Peter experienced this personally after he denied Christ. Our love for others covers their sins. Does this mean that we over look them? No, it does mean when they have repented and made a change, we no longer see the offense or their sins. We love them through it. With our enemies, we love them “regardless” of how they may continue to treat us because through our love they could be saved. I know this sounds so farfetched as to appear impossible, but God demonstrated this to us when He sent His Son among those who hated Him. One last Scripture.
When the Pharisees and Sadducees had attempted to trap Jesus, a lawyer asked Him which was the great commandment in the law. Here is what Jesus told him as recorded in Matthew 22:37-40: “……You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." Jesus made it plain; we are to love God with our whole being and our neighbors as ourselves. If we do this, everything else takes care of itself. This is why the most effective tool that Satan uses against Christians is not the sins that we see represented in the world, he gets us to walk in hate. We hate ourselves, our family member, our neighbors, co-workers, our friends, and the people we go to church with. We hide it, smile and bear it, but the hate still resides. Every now and then we allow it to surface and when it does it carries grave consequences because we are to be known for our love for one another and the world around us.
How does that love show up in our lives? Paul told us. “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…..”
III. Choose Love
We are running in a race. Each of our race has one rule that applies regardless to the specific of the race itself. The entry qualification is Love. Paul said that it does not matter what we do for God, from speaking in tongues, giving prophecies, walking in faith, giving possessions to the poor to everything else we do in the name of God if we do not have love. We can do many things for God but in the end they are worthless if we do not have love. Love is a choice and after accepting Christ as our personal Savior, the most important choice that we can make.
If I run my race better than anyone else and yet I did not love my fellow man, my running will have been in vain. I am choosing to love and to allow that love to be manifested in my life. This will change how I interact with those who are my enemies and those that I know do not care for me. I have accepted the fact that it’s not about them, it’s about my willingness to yield to my Father’s commandment and be a light shining in the darkness. Please understand that Satan will use hate to destroy our race. He will use hate – however justifiable in how we view a situation, to destroy whatever we have done for Christ. He knows that hate or a lack of love for our fellow man will undo the actions we have done in Christ’s name. Today I am asking that you consider how hurtful situations may have led to your hating someone or not being able to walk in love towards them. If you do not care whether or not a person dies and go to heaven or hell then that is a problem. The love of God flowing through us would want every man to be saved. Are you willing to choose love? Not just today, but as a lifestyle?
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
