Thankful Thursday: Learning to Love

“Whoever does not love abides in death.”
~I John 3:14

My eyes read the words, my mind processed them, I moved forward and then backpedaled quickly.

Did that really say what I just read it to say?

How many times have I read I John and never noticed that line?

Whoever does not love abides in death.

Scary.

Then, with a sudden rush, my heart is filled with thankfulness.

There was a time in my life when those words could have killed me. I’d have read them and gone at the work of loving with a fearful frenzy, certain of judgment should I fail.

But God has wrought changes in my heart over the years–and I am supremely grateful that He is teaching me to love.

Today I’m thankful…

…that God’s kindness compels me
I do not seek to love others out of a sense of obligation or a fear of death. But this is not of myself. My inclination would be to “love” for selfish gain, to make myself feel good or obtain some sort of benefit for myself. Yet God’s love for me is what compels me to learn to love others. This is God’s grace at work in my life.

“God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance”
~Romans 2:4b (ESV)

…that perfect love casts out fear
Once upon a time, fear of losing favor drove me to perform what others might have considered loving actions. But these actions were not love. They were the clawings of a woman desperate to hold tight to what she could never keep. Now, captivated by the perfect love of a faithful God, I can love without fear, holding loosely to this life and entrusting my heart to God’s care.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”
~I John 4:18 (ESV)

…that love is sacrificial
The greatest act of love in the universe involved a heartbroken Father, a murdered son, and pardon for murderous wretches. All our sappy movies and cheesy greeting cards miss the mark when they announce that love is bliss or beauty or chocolate kisses. Love is death.

“In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
~I John 4:10 (ESV)

…that love is supernatural
The word love is bandied about so frequently that one might begin to think that love is the most natural thing in the world. But it isn’t. It isn’t easy, it isn’t normal, it isn’t natural to love. In fact, there’s only one way one can love–and that is through the grace of the supernatural God of the universe.

“…for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
~I John 4:7 (ESV)

The truth is that I never knew love until I knew the blameless Son of God bloodied upon a tree. I never saw love until I saw a heartbroken Father pouring out His full cup of wrath on His treasured Only Son. I never saw love until I saw His eyes turn to me and proclaim that I was free.

And when my heart turned to Him, enthroning Him above all kings–
When my love for Him outgrew my love for every other thing–
It is then that He whispered into my heart
“Love. Love them for me.”
And out of love for my Savior, my Lord, my all
I am learning to love others
as He first loved me