Walking in Peace Ministries

Love for Eternity?

You have heard it in songs, read it in books and possibly have had it said to you from any number of people – those beautiful words “I will love you forever.”  Forever…that is a very, very long time.  In fact you can’t measure forever.  It never ends.  Forever is eternal.

The human race is pretty casual about using the word ‘love’.  In fact it is often too casual even in marriage vows.  I remember as a young woman hearing a friend of mine say “So what if it doesn’t work out…I’ll just get a divorce.”  It was as if she was picking out a new blouse and if it didn’t look just right she could return it.

It is hard to understand that love can be eternal when relationships, especially the commitment between a man and woman in marriage is often under-mined and disregarded.   But love, real love is eternal.

In part II of this short study we noted that God is love (I John 4:7 8).  He tells us that in his word.  God always was and is and always will be.  You can’t get more eternal than that.  Well, that’s pretty basic, so what does that have to do with us?   

In our personal relationships, the one most important to us must begin with our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Once we understand that we too can experience His love and how to love, then we will understand more fully this term “LOVE.”

John 3:16 tells us that we are loved by God the Father so much that He gave us  his son, Jesus Christ so that we could spend eternity with him in heaven.  If you are not sure about that then read Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.

That makes me very excited.  We as sinners do not deserve the love of God.  Yet in His great mercy He provided a pathway to heaven through the death of his son.  What a great love!  I cannot comprehend it but I’m glad I have it and I want more!

I have found that the more love from God that is evident to me; the easier it is for me to spread it around.   Anything coming from God is highly valuable but love is not something you hold onto and keep for yourself.   If you do – then it’s not love at all.  Greed, never, never enters in when receiving the gift of love from God.  You don’t hide it away as if it might be stolen.  You share it and pass it on.  When you do it becomes greater and deeper and more profound.  When you expose God’s love you openly make a statement of faith.  I have often said that God’s gift of love, His son Jesus Christ, is one gift that you get to keep for eternity and give it away over and over again at the same time.  Only God could come up with a gift like that.

What about the unsaved?  Don’t they love?  Yes, and they love deeply with great effort and dedication.   The difference is time.   The love between people on this earth is only for as long as they live unless they know Christ as their savior and have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 3:5).  The believer’s love is eternal, ever lasting because it goes beyond the grave.  It never ends because the believer will spend their forever tomorrows with their Savior Jesus Christ.   The lost, the unbeliever in Jesus as Lord will not miss their loved ones or care to love in the darkness and agony of hell.   They will be separated from God and any loved ones they had while on earth…forever.

I would like to suggest that humanly speaking, love takes on a lot of responsibility.  Though we must attempt to love as Jesus loves, it is probably more difficult if we try to accomplish that without some additional elements such as: respect, consideration, patience, understanding and lack of self.  Taking self out of the equation puts the other person in the fore front.  Jesus put us before his own life in order that we might have eternal life.  If he didn’t do that, if He treasured his own life more than us, we would be on our way to an everlasting, terrifying, agonizing hell.  How can we do that for others? How can we learn to put those before us that we hold no respect for?  How can we care enough for our family members, the stranger in line at the grocery store, our paper delivery boy, etc. to give them first place?  

No one, especially not God, said it would be easy.

As a reminder, God commands his children to love one another.  Jesus tells us in his own words (Mark 12:30) to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength…and what about caring for those you don’t usually rub elbows with?  Luke 14:13, 14 says “but when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the Just.”  Isn’t that something?  So simple.  You will be blessed if you just do a kind thing for another.  Look at verse 12 of that same chapter.  It tells us not to invite your family and friends and rich neighbors to a special dinner.  Why?  Is that bad?  No, but you will get repaid by that gesture and lose the blessing.   They will do doubt invite you back but the poor and needy can’t turn around and make all things even.  Your gesture of kindness shows the love of God in you.  It blesses the one who receives.  It honors the Lord and God’s word says you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous!  How great is that?!  God’s instructions on giving, receiving and teaching love are clear and his plan is awesome.  If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you have a destiny….and it is based on love.

Then how can love be a choice too? Unfortunately, believers can be selfish individuals.  Maybe it is a lack of understanding.  If so, then that person needs to get in God’s word.  Maybe it is a lack of time.  If so, then that believer needs to get their priorities straight.  Maybe they leave it for someone more “capable” of loving.  If so, then they have missed the message for God does not give us anything to do that cannot be accomplished.  For confidence in this work of the Lord read: Philippians 1:6; Philippians 4:13; Proverbs 3:6 and Matthew 5:16.

Did your parents ever tell you “Clean your room…NOW”, but instead you waited until there was eminent danger of punishment?  Perhaps you experience that with your children.  Just because you (or your child) disobeyed doesn’t make it any less a command or expectation on the parent’s part.  Well, God tells us to love and gives directions on how to do it.  He meant it.  Yet, He doesn’t make us do it.  It is our choice.  I never stopped loving my children if they didn’t immediately obey, but they did miss the blessing of reward.  God the Father, allows us to choose…part of the decision we make is not only to move forward at Christ’s desire and love the unlovable but also whether or not we will receive the blessings in store for us.

Ask yourself these questions:  Do you really love the lost (those who have never acknowledged Christ as their own personal Savior)?  Do you really understand what it means to share God’s love?   Are you satisfied with your service to the Lord?  Does love ever enter your mind when you see the lonely or suffering? Take a moment and answer those questions honestly.

Now take time to meditate, just you and God.  Think about His grace and mercy in your life and what it would mean to pass on his promise of peace to another person.   Maybe, just maybe it may be the beginning of turning the ‘feeling’ of love into the real thing.  It is a choice.  If it didn’t matter – it wouldn’t be such a high priority to God.

Can you love in a forever way without God?  Do you have the mindset to forgive forever?  When you draw close to the Lord - when you desire to be like Him...you will have to make a choice -
                                   To love unconditionally
                                   To love in an eternal fashion
                                   To set others before self

Love is always a choice not a mandate.  Yet Jesus not only lived love out in his actions he set down his word for us to follow so that we can strive forward in our efforts to be obedient in godliness.