Connect yourself to the power that created the universe

The love of God is the creative force behind the wonderful world we have been born into. Through this study you will come to understand this love in a better way and hopefully be able to communicate love to people around you.

Love is the central concept in the Christian faith because the word of God teaches us that God is love. Someone has defined a Christian as one who has a love relationship with Jesus Christ. Our Christian faith and devotion are a response to him who loved us first (1 John 4:10, 19).

The revelation that Jesus brought was simply this:

God is love. (1 John 4:8)

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. (John 3.16)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:35,38,39)

For God so loved the world! This is the keynote in the Christian message. God is a good God. He cares about people. Yes, he loves them so much that he gives his own son to save them from sin and destruction.

The whole creation bears witness to God’s love, goodness and greatness. It is therefore expected that mankind will give God a love response in answer to his love. This is the reason why Jesus gathers all the commands and laws into two simple sentences which express the law of love:

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)

A new love command

‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples , if you love one another.’ (John 13:34-35)

With these words Jesus set himself forth as an example. The command to love has got a point of reference that will help us to live rightly. As Jesus showed his love so shall we also show our love:

Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. (John 13:1)

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3:16)

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6-8).

During this week we will help you to connect up to the power that created the universe: God’s love. Love makes you an over-comer. Everything becomes possible! Love masters all situations! We shall see now how we can love as Jesus loved. We will look at what it means to love God and our neighbour. The whole of our Christian life centres around these two sides of the law of love. There is nothing else which can replace them! Without love, nothing we do has any worth!

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Cor.13:1-3)

Exercise:

Why is love the most central concept in the Christian faith?

Which aspects of love do you appreciate the most? Why?

Continue to memorise the previous Bible verses and add this one to you list:

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)