Love Others with the Same Love
ICS Daily Devotions

1 Corinthians 13:4, 6-8 (NKJV). Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;… does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

There are two kinds of love: Phileo and Agape. We are very familiar with Phileo love, but we need to know what is Agape love because God loves us with and commands us is to love with Agape love.

Agape love is the undefeatable benevolence and unconquerable goodwill that always seeks the highest good of others, regardless of their actions. It is a self-sacrificing love that gives freely without expecting anything in return and does not consider the worth of its object. It is a love by choice.

Agape love is unconditional. God initiated the plan of salvation even though He had conceived it long before the foundation of the world by establishing the Abrahamic Covenant, so that He would resolve the sin issue that separated us from Him. It is a love by choice, so that all the families of the earth will be blessed without exception. All of us can be saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. God demonstrated His love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He has chosen not to leave us nor forsake us through the establishment of the new covenant in Jesus’ blood. He has chosen not to remember our sins and lawless deeds because of His Agape love for us. God is aware of the weakness of our flesh. Yet, He has chosen to see us in Christ so that we will always be seen as righteous, holy, and blameless. All this is done out of Agape love, while we are still imperfect! He doesn’t consider our worth because He has chosen to love us regardless of our current state. It keeps loving because it is unconditional.

Jesus showed compassion for people while He was on earth. Love flowed from Him whenever He saw their conditions or needs. He acted out of love by ministering to them through providing food for the crowd, felt for those who had no one to shepherd them, and was empathetic when they lost loved ones. Jesus taught us to go the extra mile in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and He expects us to show the same kind of love to everyone, whether they love us in return or not. We are to love our neighbours, Christians and non-Christians alike, and even enemies with this love through the new creation and with His nature in us. This kind of love can only be lived through the empowerment and enablement of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

The Holy Spirit is full of love for people, and He expects us to serve Him and the people around us with the gifts He has given us.

Reflection: In what practical ways can you cultivate Agape love through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment in your church, family, and workplace?

Sermon: Stewardship is Established in Love