Love has changed the world. Love is changing the world. Love will change the world.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a the Bible declares what love is. In 1 John 4:7-21 we learn three more declarations: 1) God is Love. 2) There is no fear in love. 3) Whoever loves God must also love his brother. Jesus’ words even affirm the third declaration from 1 John because in Matthew 22:34-40 when asked “What is the greatest commandment?”, Jesus gives them the greatest, and the second greatest in short is: Love God and love others.
One key reason I engage in reading the Bible is because of promises that God makes to us. God makes both unconditional promises and conditional promises. An example of unconditional is Hebrews 13:5: God will never leave you or forsake you. Or on the other side, a conditional promise, 2 Chronicles 7:14, if we as a people will humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, then God will hear from Heaven and will heal our land. Promises from God are great. I feel this way because most of the time I read them and recognize what they do for me. And as true and comforting as that is, the reality is that God’s Word was not written for me, it was written for the world.
Read Romans 8:35-39 and don’t get confused by verse 36. I have read this passage countless times and almost every time I finish it, I say in my heart, “Yes, nothing can separate me from the love of God.” And while that is true, what if it’s not the point? Consider God’s love in the scope of the entire Word of God. Love doesn’t love to get; love loves to give. When this is your belief/attitude/mindset you read the passage in Romans 8 and the takeaway is not “nothing can separate me from the love of God.” But the takeaway is, “Nothing, not death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, can stop me from loving someone.” The Bible says nothing in all creation can stop the love of God. The Bible also says you are to love others. I translate that to “nothing will stop me from loving others”. Nothing: not personal preferences, not generational differences, not political views, not religious views, not music or activity preferences, not even sport team rivalries, will stop me from loving you.
Want to change the world? Love God and love people.
Chad Strausbaugh