Love: Our Only Hope, Our Only Mission

To love others is something that no human being, other than Jesus, has done perfectly. To love is something no one can fully describe or understand. To love is by far the greatest struggle we face and that is why the greatest commandments are based on this mysterious and glorious thing we call love. Christ says in Matthew 22:36-40,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

It is no coincidence that the two utmost commandments are founded on love. For through love the history of the world has purpose, principle, and origin.

Love Gives Us Our Only Hope

Because there is a God who cherishes us, we have hope. The love of God is given to us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. How does Jesus’ sacrifice show God’s love? Well, we were guilty and helpless before Him. We have broken His perfect law and are therefore guilty of death (“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God [and] the wages of sin is death…” -Romans 3:23, 6:23a). But God provided a way for us to be cleared of that guilt and be freed from death: He provided a sacrifice for us (…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. –Romans 6:23b).

What makes this sacrificial love of God even more incredible is that God Himself was the sacrifice. We have been cleared of our penalty before God because God payed our penalty for us by dying on the cross.

This sacrificial love wouldn’t mean anything though, unless Jesus rose from the dead and He did. We now have access to the Father through faith that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and therefore defeated sin and death. I hope you see how amazing God’s love really is and how, without it, you don’t have hope, or even a reason and purpose to live, but with it, you are freed from sin and death to live a life for Christ.

Love Gives Us Our Only Mission: Love

Christ didn’t just die for you, He gave you a mission for your life. This mission isn’t a ‘complete it and live the rest of your life in coziness and ease,’ no, this is a mission Jesus is calling you to give your life for. So what is the mission? It is to show others the same love Christ has shown you. It is to proclaim to the world the love of Jesus because there is no greater love than this. The mission Christ gave us is to bring glory to God by showing His love to the world.

To love God is the first and greatest commandment, so if we truly love God won’t we be willing to give everything up to do the mission He has given us? Won’t we desire to love and proclaim His love to all peoples?

If you want to know more about this incredible love or of this self-denying mission, please see the contact info at the top of the page. I will be more than happy to tell you more.