Title: Love is Here
Contents
Love is life. God is love (Ho theos Acafe Estin).- This is the only place in the Bible where it is written in one sentence. 'God is love. That love is life' - this is the subject of the text. Without love there is no life.
God more clearly said, 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life' (John 3:16). He died on the cross for us and also showed the love of God. It confirms the concrete love that gives salvation to those who believe and follow him. Where is the root of love? In a word, love consists in receiving. Paul confirms love in Romans 5 (verses 1-11).
First, it is the received consciousness of existence (faith).
A person cannot live without being loved. I can't live without confirming love. This is basic and primal love. The problem lies right there in confirming, knowing, realizing, feeling, and appreciating that love. No matter how difficult the hardships you face, you can live as long as love is confirmed. When I was weak, Christ died for me, when I was a sinner, Christ died for me, and when I was enemies with God, He died for me. With my heart, I confirmed that I am a child of God. That time is important. When I was weak, when I became a sinner, and when I became enemies with God, then I was already receiving God's love.
The second is the emotion I received (happiness).
You shouldn't think that you are loved just because you go to church. Do not assume that I will be loved because I have lived righteously, lived good, and served. Am I good enough to be loved by my parents? no. Rather weak, erring and lacking, my parents love me. In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), we know well why the prodigal son did not return. ‘I have to make money, I can’t go like this.’ Because of prestige and face, I can’t come back. However, he struggles to do well, but he gets bogged down more and more. They come back when they eventually starve to death. He returns as a servant, not a son. However, the father welcomes the son with warm love. My son is embarrassed by the incomprehensible hospitality. Does it make sense? You are still in your own position. It is the place of the law. But the father does not listen and rejoices. "My son was dead and is alive again; I was lost and is found again." This father's emotion is true love.
The third is the enlightenment received (bepum).
Guys, what did the prodigal son think at that time? The prodigal son thinks that when I lost my father, my father also forgot me. Isn't this heart a sin? My father loved me more while my son was wandering away from home. The father did not forgive because his son returned. Forgive and wait. Realizing this, the son is ashamed. The true answer to love is faith. The attitude of a loved one is hope. If you return to Heavenly Father now, He is waiting for you with the light of life on. Because the eternal kingdom is guaranteed in the love of the Father. Therefore, "Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another, because God so loved us." (1 John 4:11)