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One of the means for us finding purpose in life is connected to love. I've heard it said that love is the ultimate value, it's the greatest common "good" upon which most of the world can agree. Throughout history, the artist has been the one to advocate for this, and certainly the romantic poets brought to the forefront the idea that when all else in life is unclear, love is something to which we can cling. More recently (a few decades back) Nat King Cole sang in his song "Nature Boy" that "...the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and to be loved in return." Our existence confirms this on both an emotional and physical level. We've all heard the annecdotes about a spouse who has been married and then lost that partner, resulting in a deep depression and even a change in the personality of the spouse who is left living. And the research confirm that while it is hard to nail down what the term love means as far as social science is concerned, babies who are ignored, left untouched and more-or-less not cared for in a loving fashion are severely stunted in their growth both physically and mentally.
So where does this leave us? We know that love is certainly connected to our purpose in some fashion. I would offer that until we understand the love given to us from God and understand how His love actually plays out, we will search endlessly desiring to define and find love but not knowing it when our eyes finally locate it. We must first grasp God's love for us, His definition of love, and then we can learn to love well.
God's love for us is often described in terms of John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. While the notion of God giving His only Son to die for the sins of sinful and often ungrateful human race is enough to wrestle with for all eternity, God does more. He shows us that the transformation He allows to occur in our lives is all rooted in this love. When we are called to change or to use the theoligical term - to be 'sanctified' - God does not just say, "Try harder." His call is to reflect on this love - His love shown to us through Christ - and by responding to that love, we will change. We see this clearly in Paul's writing to the church in Corinth when he wants to encourage generosity. He does not tell them to try harder, to learn to live on less because he realizes that at the heart of this needed change is a lack of understanding of how much was given by God for them. In 2 Corinthians 8:8-9 Paul writes, "I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."
God's love is so all encompassing, so divine, that it gives us new life and also gives us the focus and direction to love as He loved.
Next, we will look at God's definition of love.
- tC
So where does this leave us? We know that love is certainly connected to our purpose in some fashion. I would offer that until we understand the love given to us from God and understand how His love actually plays out, we will search endlessly desiring to define and find love but not knowing it when our eyes finally locate it. We must first grasp God's love for us, His definition of love, and then we can learn to love well.
God's love for us is often described in terms of John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. While the notion of God giving His only Son to die for the sins of sinful and often ungrateful human race is enough to wrestle with for all eternity, God does more. He shows us that the transformation He allows to occur in our lives is all rooted in this love. When we are called to change or to use the theoligical term - to be 'sanctified' - God does not just say, "Try harder." His call is to reflect on this love - His love shown to us through Christ - and by responding to that love, we will change. We see this clearly in Paul's writing to the church in Corinth when he wants to encourage generosity. He does not tell them to try harder, to learn to live on less because he realizes that at the heart of this needed change is a lack of understanding of how much was given by God for them. In 2 Corinthians 8:8-9 Paul writes, "I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."
God's love is so all encompassing, so divine, that it gives us new life and also gives us the focus and direction to love as He loved.
Next, we will look at God's definition of love.
- tC
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