We Need
The Greatest Love
There Is

What happens when we become supreme lovers of self instead of lovers of God? Love becomes distorted and diseased. Love ends up becoming a great evil, greater than we often realize. Let’s open our eyes and take a good look at this world as we know it: everyone loves in the way that is right in his own eyes. Which also means that everyone hates in the way that is right in his or her own eyes. What happens then?

People become supreme “lovers of self” where both 2 Timothy 3:2, and Ephesians 3:2 say, “They live in the passions of their flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, since they were children of wrath” Based on that understanding, it is not hard to understand why there is so much confusion, conflict, heartbreak and violence in the world. Self love is the result of the rebellion and chaos of the horrible things we hear in the news.

But God is the author and perfecter of love, and Love Himself, (Jesus) stepped into this world’s horrible evil to redeem us (Romans 5:8), to give us new life (Ephesians 2:5), and to transform us from children of wrath back into children of God (John 1:12). He made the way for us to be able to love Him supremely and therefore to love each other rightly — the way He has loved us.

He gave us His only Son who laid down his His life for us ALL. But, this doesn’t mean that Jesus loved us, his friends, more than His Father. It means that Jesus loved us greatly because He loved his Father most (John 17:26; Mark 14:36). And “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:11).

This seems convicting and somewhat uncomfortable to me. How about you? The way we love others is a true indicator of how we love God. The apostle John puts it bluntly:

“He who does not love his brother whom
he has seen cannot love God whom
he has not seen.”
1 John 4:20

Our love for each other is an indicator of the place God is holding in our hearts. Maybe the best thing we can do today is take an honest, lingering look at the way we love others, allow what we see to have its Philippians 2:12 effect on us, and ask God what He would have us do in response. We may find that this is the most loving thing we will do for everyone else today.

God Bless Your Day
Jesus Loves You

Read ALL 800+ previous “Your Daily Notes” HERE