The meaning of love

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

1 Corinthians 13-1

I would just like to reflect a little on the sermon I heard yesterday at church. The pastor was speaking about how God's love is essential in church, above all other gifts. The word "love" as used in scripture here refers to agapeo or God's love, and not eros (erotic love) or fileo (brotherly or sisterly love).

God's love is really something only God can do. It is easy for us to love people who are cute, loving and we care deeply about, but it is another story altogether to love someone who we dislike, or dislike us. Personally I find it almost next to impossible.

Yet in 1 Corinthian 13 the apostle Paul reminds us that even if we have the greatest gifts but possess not love, we are nothing. My initial thought on this is that there must be a contradiction. If we cannot demonstrate agapeo like God, who sends Jesus to die for the ungodly, then how can we be expected to show this quality of love to someone else?

The answer is really quite simple. We simply dont but just obey. Remember what John the baptist says when some of his disciples want to cross over and join Jesus? He was not envious but instead proclaimed that Jesus must become greater and himself lesser. And somewhere in the bible it is said that we who believe in Jesus have been crucified with Christ, and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us.

So we simply have to die a little each day and be mirrors that reflect the glory of God to others. That means we dont really have to try hard to fake God's love, but instead allow God to reveal his agapeo love through us.

Are we ready to do this today?