All About Love

Morning Prayer: Prov. 4:1-27, 1 Jn. 4:7-21

Wisdom and love. Get wisdom. Love God and everyone around you. In fact, Solomon says, love wisdom, embrace her, keep her in your heart, and keep your eyes fixed on her. So really when you get right down to it, it’s all about love. Love God, love your dad, love your roommate, love wisdom. Love is the greatest commandment.

But love is not a feeling you get. Love is not being flush in the face, and your heart beating a little bit faster. Love is not romance. Love is really not even necessarily trust. Love is God sending His Son into the world that we might live through Him. Love is God sending His Son to be our atonement, our propitiation, the satisfaction, the mercy-covering that we might be delivered from death and granted indestructible life.

Love and wisdom are not primarily tools that we use to change other people. They are primarily tools that God uses to change us. We love because He loved us. When you get a little wisdom, she guards you and crowns you.

This is why it comes down to the little things. Solomon says keep away from the evil path. John says you cannot hate your brother. But this means, you cannot hold grudges in your heart against others. You cannot be bitter against your dad, your mom, your teacher, your roommate. You cannot flirt with evil. If your fascination with art is a cover for your porn problem, how can the love of God be in you? If you cannot be gracious with your roommate whom you have seen, how can you love God whom you have not seen?

The answer is not to just buckle down and try harder. The answer is to go back to the love of God manifested in Jesus for you. His blood was shed for your grumbling, for your complaining, for your bad attitude, for your lust, for your lies, for your envy, for your bitterness. Soak in that love, soak in that grace, and then go and let that love transform you.