REAL LOVE ACTS

“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
1 John 4:9-10 NLT

Jesus made a statement to Nicodemus that could not be clearer and can never be bettered.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 NLT

Once again, John repeats that statement in his letter, to declare not only the extent and scope of that love but also to reveal the motive for the gift of His Son to a rebellious and sinful world.

“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
1 John 4:10 NLT

How often we have heard preachers expounding on our “first love” as that love we had for Jesus when we first believed in Him. We loved Him so much that we even went to excesses to show Him how much we love Him!

However, the Bible never makes our love for Jesus the motive for our actions but rather the response to His love. We don’t serve Jesus so much because we love Him but rather because He loved us first.

“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19 NIV

Furthermore, God demonstrated His love for us, not by merely telling us but by giving us His most precious gift, His own beloved Son. He made
no bones about His love for Jesus. He declared His love publicly on two occasions, at Jesus’ baptism and at His transfiguration. He affirmed His love for His Son by His intimate presence, fellowship with, and supervision of Jesus throughout His earthly journey.

His most powerful affirmation came through the resurrection

“The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 1:3-4 NLT

and Jesus’ subsequent reward.

“… He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:8-11 NLT

Real loves gives. God gave His best for us and to us. He gave us Jesus, the Lord ehinning and end of everything we need in this life to reach our destination and receive the inheritance waiting for us.

“Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”
Romans 8:32 NLT

Scripture makes it clear that God’s love, demonstrated by the greatest gift He could have ever given to us, is the root and our love for Him the fruit of that love. Our love is fickle and will not last. God’s love for us is eternal and changeless because He IS love.

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”
Ephesians 3:16-17 NLT

“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
Romans 5:5 NLT

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
Colossians 2:6-7 NLT

Without a strong root system going deep into the love of God, and the work of God’s Spirit, pouring God’s love into our hearts, the work we do for Jesus will be a sterile, cold, and heartless offering.

The key to this real love response to the love of God lies in our doing what Jesus told us to do.

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”
John 15:9-10 NLT

It’s this love of God, strong and alive in us by the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to love and serve people in His name.