Reciprocate!

Reciprocate!

This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for others! 1 Jn 3:16 GNT

As we usually do, it is best to look at how a principle is defined, so we can make informed choices based on our understanding of that principle. The principle in focus today is LOVE. The world has a definition and the word of God also has its own definition too. The world will always define a thing from the perspective of what it can get out, while the word of God usually defines the same thing from the perspective of what it has first given, before it makes a demand. The world will even make a demand where it has not invested anything, which is why it is not a suprise that those who live by the world's definition are usually too confused and distracted to make meaningful decisions. Which one drives you: the Word or the world? 

Having made this distinction, we see love from the perspective of God: He first gave. He did not just give something to bribe us to loyalty, but He gave his best: His own Son. He could have given anything else, but a God who will demand our all first laid down the perfect example for us by giving himself, his all, His Son. If he has given his all, what else is left to give? Christ came to die for the sin of the world, even of those yet unborn at the time. Imagine being given a trust fund at birth, from which you can draw from at any time till death. That is what we have received.  Remember however that receipt of this gift leads to a demand from us, as is seen in the same verse above. What does God want from me? 

Having loved me this much, the least God expects me to do is love other people the same way I have been loved. I can't give what I don't have, but that which I have received must flow out of me into other people's lives. It will be an unfortunate if I am like the Dead sea, content to take and never willing to give. After a while, that which I have is stale, because it is not refreshed and renewed. Only by giving out love can I get even more in return. It is this giving of love that proves that we are the children of God. This is how we bring the message about Christ to life, and change the world's perspective about Christ. Can I give my life for the sake of other people? Can I spend my life in the service of other people? 

Without sounding extreme, can I lay down my life to see others come to the saving knowledge of Jesus? Can I leave my comfort zone, to show forth the light of Christ to places and people that do not yet know Him? Does the love of God compel me to seek the eternal good of other people, or am I content being the only one in my society heading to heaven, while others are headed in the opposite direction? I ask God for strength to show forth fruit that proves that Christ's love has been birthed in me. It is the message the world needs at this time. Isn't it also interesting that this verse perfectly mirrors the love of God, laid out in another verse by the same John, same chapter and verse, but at different times? John 3:16 is that perfect mirr. God's time of favour is here.