Love One Another

1 Peter 1:20-22 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 
 
LOVE one another deeply, from the heart is a very unnatural teaching for us to obey, isn’t it? If we define love as the God-like love in 1 Corinthians 13, we all know it is extremely difficult to continually be patient, kind, gracious, humble, polite, merciful, forgiving and enduring with all we know in the church. Surely it is impossible to love strangers and enemies in this impossible way. How then, can we develop God-like love to reflect our Lord’s character?
   One fundamental way to deepen our love for all is to be continually aware of God’s love for us. Yes, it is common to hear in the church, “God loves you.” But are we able to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ?” (Ephesians 3:18)  We can if we grasp God’s extreme plan to save us.
   As Peter summarized God’s eternal plan of salvation, he was not telling the church something new. But he was teaching this again to emphasize God’s eternal love plan for them is one reason to love others. God is love in all the ways listed. Even more, he is love in his unrelenting, eternal plan to send his Son to be the way of our saving faith. God’s plan gives us a sure hope in a resurrected Jesus. We do not believe in dead, lifeless gods as pagans do. Neither is our faith a hopeless, despairing belief of works to save us into a “better life.” Because God has acted with such an eternal, life-giving love, we have received the benefit of a true, sure salvation. We are now in these last times between Jesus’ first and second advent as we await the completion of God’s eternal plan.
   So then, the next time you think someone doesn’t deserve your love, consider God’s unrelenting love for you. Remember, too, once you were alienated from God, and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. (Colossians 1:21) Even in our wretched condition, God’s plan was to save us to Heaven because he loves us. Know God’s love for you but not just as something you have heard or read. Know his love with your heart, mind and soul. Then share his love gift to so many wayward people who need to know they matter.