Love Is
John 15:12
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Largely, we set aside this holiday to acknowledge the EMOTION of affection
1. Love is a choice
In light of John 15:12: LOVING one another is more about making decisions than feeling emotions.
Love is a choice, not an emotion
Affection is an emotion; "Like" is an emotion - BUT Love is predetermined
Love chooses to act selflessly toward others before the opportunity arises
That's marriage, right? It's choosing to love BEFORE the opportunity to feel or show it.
God so loved, that he sent his son!
We see this choice play out in the ministry of Jesus, Let's look at how this played out in real life:
John 6:1–13
6 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”
10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
The account of this story in Mark 6:
34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.
2.Love is inclusive
God is constantly expressing his love to any who will receive it
This story is about multitudes and about his disciples:
He didn't just feed his "boys"
He looked at the multitude and had compassion on them
God wants to include you as he expresses this love to others
3. Love is an action
Love finds a need and meets it
Jesus works a miracle and the disciples work on the meticulous
Many times we want God to do our job, and we will do His
BUT... When disciples don't do their job, multitudes go hungry
4.Love is enough
Their was enough bread that day to pick up leftovers after everyone had eaten
When Jesus demonstrates his love, there is always enough
When he demonstrated his love on the cross - it was enough
There's enough grace for you today
