John 3:16 (NIV®)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
If I have my preference, most of the time I prefer to be in the background observing rather than out in front of it all. In that observing, I have come to a conclusion about love. We could look to 1 Corinthians chapter 13 for descriptors, and if you haven’t read it, please do, but here are a few thoughts of my own.
When a child is in danger, the parents intervene and rescue them from harm. When a pet is ill, the loving owner does everything in their power to make them well again. When a person has a general love of mankind they are available to help any neighbor in need. Love is there to help “fill in the gaps” for the one who is loved. It does not run away in times of crisis or difficulty.
Love also persists. You see it in families, friends and especially couples who have remained married for many years. No matter the conflict or disagreement, they work it out. It is a team approach to everything and although they may come out the other side a little bruised or shaken, they are stronger for it, and ready and able to handle whatever comes next. Love may have an emotional impetus, but in the end, love is a choice. Sometimes emotions make it easier. Sometimes emotions make it harder. But it is always a choice.
As I observe our world today, there is good, but there is so much that is not good. It is really bad. Greed, immorality, theft, rebellion, egocentricity, control and the drive for power, you name it, we are a people who have lost our way. What strikes me is, none of this is a surprise to God. He knew us way back then. He knew how awful we could and would be. He knew our propensity to turn away from Him, yet still decided to love us. He didn’t turn away. He knew we were no match for the enticement and chains that come with sin. He knew we would fail time after time after time and time again. But you know what? He chose a very long time ago, to do whatever it took to make it possible for you and I to break free from the hold sin has over us and to make us clean so that we could be with Him.
Most of us don’t choose to love the unlovely. We may say we do, but in reality, we love our own. We choose friends like us. We marry spouses who check off our boxes. If we have our choice, we choose to be with those who elevate and affirm us. It is our preferential nature. But God made the choice to come and be one of us. That is what He did for me. That is what He did for you. That was the cross. Even knowing our pitiful, rebellious and sinful state, He saw us in our mess and still decided to go to the cross.
My observation of love is this. That all the characteristics held within love are contingent upon one thing, and that is choice. God chose to give Himself in order to save people like us who can’t save ourselves. If you want to make your choice to receive the love of God, and to become a follower of Jesus Christ, you can. Please click on the “How To” page on this site. There is hope. There is a way. God loves you, but for love to work, the choice must be mutual. He has made His choice and now it is your turn… because, ultimately, love is always a choice.
Photo Credit: © iStock.com/takasuu ID 1666849111