Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this….” In other words, Jesus Christ demonstrated God’s love unto us and called us to behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us. Then as He pointed to the cross, He said, “Greater love has no man”. I believe strongly that Jesus’ attitude towards love should be an example unto us. Can you love that brother or sister and say, “Greater love has no man….” Wow. What a relationship goal?! That you want to love until you can say truthfully, “Greater love has no man”, because you didn’t just love as a man. But you loved with the love of the Lord.
Paul indeed called husbands to love wives in the same way Christ loves the Church. Christ’s love is unconditional, longsuffering (patient) and believing. But John 15:13 gives us another clue on how to love a spouse the Christ-way. That is, love until you can say and s/he can attest that greater love has no man or woman. Be his/her greatest and deepest encounter with love. Because that is what Christ is to the Church.
Here are few ways to love greatly:
1. Sacrifice
Anyone can give out of convenience. But giving as a sacrifice shows greater love. Anyone can offload excesses on the needy. But purposefully forfeiting your own satisfaction for another is truly greater love. This is why Jesus praised the widow who gave her all. Her offering was a sacrifice. The true test of love is sacrifice.
David refuses to give God out of convenience. He insisted that his gift cost him (2 Samuel 24:24). God loved the world and sacrificed His Son for its salvation. We are entreated to lay down our lives for each other. This means it’s not just about what you can do. That sounds burdensome. But giving from greater love isn’t just about what you can do. It isn’t about what’s convenient with you. You go out of your way, you stretch yourself, you work. If there is nothing, you produce something. You give beyond what you can offer. So love must stretch you.
You haven’t entered greater love until you’re down on your knees praying to God, “show me how to love him/her more.” Like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Greater love stretches you and sends you asking God for more strength, more patience, more endurance, more understanding and wisdom. You don’t say “this is how far I can come”. You run the extra mile. You are longsuffering. Greater love isn’t conveniently expressed. It requires you to expand and grow. You will experience your greatest growths when you begin to love the greater love.
Because greater love isn’t just about what you can offer, it also sends you interceding for your beloved. You call on God’s supply. Greater love is sacrifice, beyond convenience.
God had to shrink from eternity into the boundaries of time to show us the greater love. He had to shrink from Omnipresence to a specific spot, and subject Himself to the limits of flesh and blood in order to show us the higher love. We will have to do the opposite. We will not shrink but stretch, if we will love the higher and greater love.
This is why Jesus said, we should go the extra mile. Greater love goes the extra mile.
#pds
More points will be published subsequently on this blog. Stay blessed.
Photo: Prophet Uebert Angel and Mrs Beverly Angel
Pious D. Serwonu