BORN TO LOVE

“BELOVED, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER,
FOR LOVE IS OF GOD; AND EVERYONE
WHO LOVES IS BORN OF GOD AND
KNOWS GOD” (1 JOHN 4:7).

BY RANDALL J. BREWER

Why were you born? For what purpose did God place you on this planet? In the Old and New Testaments we are commanded to “…love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37). Jesus said in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Jesus also said to “…love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt. 6:44). So why were you born? The answer is obvious. You were born to love.

In the Amplified Bible 1 Peter 4:8,9 says, “Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins - forgives and disregards the offenses of others, practicing hospitality to one another.” We need to become a doer of the Word and begin to “practice” love relationships.

The whole meaning of life comes from having a relationship with our Heavenly Father which leads to fellowship with one another. This is the greatest expression of love because love is a relationship. Our God is a relational God. He is our Father and we are His children. Our fellow believers have become our brothers and sisters in Christ. These are all relational terms. Relationships are the essential meaning of life for the believer.

Relationships are what people are after and this is what the gospel message is all about. Our primary goal is fellowship that is not all social but is centered around the blood of Jesus. The ultimate plan of redemption is to restore relationships with the Godhead and one another. The end result will be unity and harmony in the body of Christ.

John, the “apostle of love,” tells us “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). In Greek the word for “fellowship” is ‘koinonia’ and it is the highest degree of love two people can generate toward one another. It means “fellowship, partnership, social intercourse, companion, communion, partaker.”

John later goes on to say, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7,8). The agape love of God is a fruit of the Spirit and “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5).

Love is a spiritual force and is the most powerful, the most dynamic, and the most dominate force in the world. And why is that? Because God is love! The Bible says that “faith without works is dead” and so it is with love. Without works love is also dead. The love of God will always manifest itself. It is an active force, an active power. Love gives for the purpose of blessing the receptiant. It is the overwhelming desire to be a blessing to somebody else. Paul gives these encouraging words in 1 Cor. 16:14, “Let all that you do be done with love.”

We are commanded by God to love because people everywhere have a need to be loved and accepted. No amount of achievement can fulfill the need for acceptance. It is a void that only love can fill. Insecurity comes from a lack of one-on-one relationships. It can cause people to try to do great accomplish-ments for the sole purpose of getting accepted by other people.

As Christians we are “rooted and grounded in love” and because we have been “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6) it has become our responsibility and privilege to share with others that God has indeed accepted them as well do we. This will cause hearts to be filled with joy and it is only joyful believers who will be able to reach out and lead others to Christ.

When Christians having fellowship with one another are observed by non-believers, the love and joy they see being displayed and shared will like a magnet pull them in to the body of Christ. This is why fellowship should be the foremost desire of every believer. We cannot demonstrate the love of God without a loving relationship with one another. The best friends are the ones who love Jesus together and a church is only as strong as the relationships among it’s members.

It is common knowledge that good things don’t just happen to people. More times than not we have to make them happen. The same can be said about friendships. Prov. 18:24 says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” Be willing to reach out and get personally involved with those you are in covenant with. Don’t sit around and wait for someone to come around and offer you their hand in friendship. You make the first move. Ask the Lord to place in your heart the name of a person who desperately needs a true friend in their life. For sure there is at least one person out there who is urgently waiting to hear from you.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). Are you willing to lay down your life for the sake of another? Friendships often require sacrifice on our part. The bonding of friendship involves a willingness to conform and become what the other person needs. Love is not selfish and it may become necessary for you to put their needs above your own.

Prov. 17:17 says that “a friend loves at all times.” True friendships bring with it endurance and reliability. You can always depend upon your friend and your friend can always depend upon you. The best friends are the ones who stick by your side no matter what happens. A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. Helping each other is what covenant love and Godly relationships are all about.

Prov. 27:9 says, “Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend does so by hearty counsel.” One of the many reasons a person should daily study the Bible is so he will be able to give Godly advice to a friend in need. “The heart of the righteous studies how to answer” (Prov. 15:28). “And a word spoken in due season, how sweet it is!” (Prov. 15:23). “But the words of the pure are pleasant” (Prov. 15:26).

Words of advice from a true friend are pleasant to the hearer because they are used to lift up and not degrade and tear down. A friend should always strive to promote and advance the life of the person he is in fellowship with. Love, however, is also honest. When a friend sees something that needs to be corrected he will reach out and help make the correction. The Bible says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Prov. 27:6). Also, “He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue” (Prov. 28:23).

Words spoken in love will never be mistaken for criticism. A friend who gives Godly counsel should also strive to perfect the art of listening. Oftentimes all a person needs is a friend who will listen to them express the needs and concerns of their heart. More can be accomplished by listening than through talking. After all, God created us with only one mouth but He gave us two ears.

Finally, covenant relationships are continuous and should last a lifetime. Prov. 27:10a says, “Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend.” Many people give roses when they want to make a friend but give briars afterward. They then wonder why the friendship failed. We must continue to treat friends the way we treated them when we were first trying to gain their trust and friendship.

Also, we are commanded to respect and honor the friends of our parents. 1 Kings 5 tells the story of how King Hiram began a friendship with Solomon because of the friendship he had with David. King Hiram later provided free of charge all the cedar wood for the temple built by Solomon.

True friendships are indeed very rare. They are more rare than the rarest bird or flower. Some people will go through an entire life and never find a true friend. But don’t give up. One friend is worth a lifetime of work. Friendships have to be born, they have to be nurtured, and they have to be strengthened. They will require time and much effort. It has been said that there are two types of people in the world: ones who make deposits in your life and those who make withdrawals. What type of person do you want in your life? What type are you?