Love comes to us in many forms, but God’s divine, agape love is unique. It is self-giving, it goes the second mile, it is unconditional. This is God’s love for us!
Agape love is perfectly demonstrated in Jesus. However, agape love may also denote love in man that is a relic of God’s original likeness in man as He created him. It’s God’s love that has been poured into our hearts and somewhere in the background there’s always some kind of association with God in the use of this word agape.
In the next few days, let’s go briefly over these four aspects of agape love. First of all, its self-giving character. This is beautifully illustrated by the words of the apostle Paul as he wrote to the Christians at Thessalonica.
In 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 8, he reminded them of how he had been when he was with them in person. And he says this:
“So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.” (NKJV)
Where it says "lives" literally the Greek says 'souls'. So that’s a kind of love that doesn’t just give things. It doesn’t just offer advice or preach sermons. But it goes beyond that and it gives itself. It lays down its life. It says not, "I’m going to give you this or I’m going to give you that," but "Here I am. I’m at your disposal. Whatever I can do for you, count on me." That’s agape love. There’s all too little of it, I believe you’ll agree, in the Christian church and in the Christian ministry. Some of us are good at preaching sermons and giving advice and counsel, but to be a real Christian goes further. It’s giving yourself.
Let me just remind you of something that I’ve said before, and I always like to say it once again at the Christmas season. Remember that Jesus is God’s Christmas gift. And in Him everything we shall ever need for time and eternity is included. God didn’t give us a lot of gifts, He just gave us one gift that contained everything. Everything is wrapped up in Jesus. And then bear in mind, that God hung His Christmas gift on a tree and that tree was the cross. And that demonstrates the undemonstratable. That brings to us the incomprehensible, the thing that can never be fully measured or summed up – the love of God in Christ.
For reflection and prayer
Am I merely giving 'things' or am I giving my'self' to others?
