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 Love Is Life (October 19, 2023) 

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

One of the primary purposes for our existence as human beings crafted by and made in the image of God is to love and serve one another to the honor and glory of our Almighty Creator. Love is what life is all about; it is the foundation of a Christian lifestyle! Regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time, Leo Tolstoy put it this way, “Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source.” God is this eternal source of love, and Scripture commands that we love the LORD supremely and show the world a portrait of His love in our human relationships.

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

A multitude of worldly passions and pursuits often compete with the sovereign God of the universe for our deepest affection. However, the LORD should be our first love and our highest priority. Our Creator and Sustainer, Christ first loved us and died for our sins so that by faith we will never be separated from His love. We’ve been counted as righteous in Christ, set apart to serve His purposes, and called to live to please our Savior, reflect his love, and shine His everlasting light into the darkness of an unbelieving world. As we permit Christ to live through us, we become vessels that allow God’s love to flow to others. Love is the greatest of all godly virtues, and our love for each other proves to the world that we belong to the LORD Jesus Christ!

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2-3)



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