True Love is Sacrificial

I have several blog topics in the works that have been on my mind.  I will eventually finish and post them. But due to the holiday this weekend there's a very important topic on my mind.... LOVE!  It is Easter, which is a time we stop to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  God loves us so much that he was willing to give up His Son.  Jesus Christ loved His Father, you, and me so much that He endured torture, pain, heartbreak, and death.  The ultimate demonstration of love is sacrifice, and the ultimate sacrifice is life.  It is beyond my understanding the kind of love my God has for me.  It is overwhelming to know that the emotions He went through is outside of my ability to comprehend. 

God's picture of love says to me:

Love is a verb.   Jesus Christ did not die because of what I could do for Him.  He conquered death so that I could spend eternity with Him.  The motivation behind the sacrifice was to give me life.  It was for me!  When I love it is not about what I get from the other person; it's about what I can do for them.  True love is about giving.  1 John 3:18 says, "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and truth."  If you grew up in the 90's you may remember these lyrics from DC Talk:

Back in the day there was a man
Who stepped out of Heaven and he walked the land
He delivered to the people an eternal choice
With a heart full of luv and the truth in His voice
Gave up His life so that we may live
How much more luv could the Son of God give?
Here is the example that we oughtta be matchin'
Cause luv is a word that requires some action

Love is a commitment.  When people talk about love changing, they are referring to a feeling.  Feelings do change; feelings can be dependent on the circumstances; feelings are conditional.  Love, however, is unconditional.  Can you imagine God saying 'sorry I just don't feel like I love you today'?  If His love was conditionally based on my behavior, I would always fail.  I would never be good enough; and grace and mercy would not exist.  God committed to an eternity of loving me when He sacrificed His Son, because without the commitment the sacrifice is meaningless. 


Love is sacrificial.  There is no greater sacrifice someone can give than the life of their child.  God tested Abraham's love and committment when He requested Abraham offer Isaac as a sacrifice.  Hannah demonstrated her love for the Lord when she sacrificially gave Samuel to serve in the Lord's house.  And can you even imagine the emotional sacrifice of Mary as she watched her son, Jesus, hang on a cross and die for the world?!  God's Word consistently demonstrates that love is sacrificial. 


Can you imagine a world where people loved each other as God intended?  When a person made a choice, a commitment, to love another, the love was demonstrated in his/her actions and the commitment never waivered according to how he/she felt.  I would be out of a job if more parents demonstrated true love to their children! 

1 Corinthians 13:13 Now abide, faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is Love.

A few months ago I found this funny video about the diffrence between like and love and the meaning of love.  Enjoy and Happy Easter!