Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Loving Deeply

1 Peter 1:13-25
Our culture defines love in ways too numerous to count. We hear about it in music, we see it portrayed on TV and in the movies, we read it in our literature, and we use slag terms to explain it. And within this cultural context love essentially has been reduced to some level of sexual activity or the exploits of dysfunctional family systems. God begs to differ and in scripture we find love discussed in much different terms. For the believer love is centered around God and is shared by the community of faith. This is the love that makes human society possible and that allows us to hold one another in esteem and affection.

“Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love,” we read in 1 Peter, “love one another deeply from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22). For the author of this passage love arises from a purity of purpose, an obedience to what is true to God's will, and a mutuality that binds people together and does not push them apart. It is only with such purity, obedience, and mutuality that we can then love each other “deeply from the heart.”

I wonder what would happen to pop music if this notion of love as pure, obedient, and mutual became the norm; TV shows and movies if characters actually loved deeply and from the heart. This is a radical thought, I know, but wouldn’t it be interesting to see people responding to one another in the daily activities of life with sincere regard and not just anger or lust. Until that day, the word of God remains a source of encouragement for those who wish to love more fully, more deeply, and in a more godly manner.

Prayer: Lord, help us to love one another as you love us. In the name of Jesus Christ who expresses your love in his life and death. Amen.

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