Love Poured Out

By Cal Cook

Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

The love of God made known to us first through the Son has been poured out on all who believe so that we can endure the trials and troubles of this life. We are told of God’s love by the giving of His Son and then by the giving of His Spirit…in fact we are told that ‘God is Love’ in 1 John 4!

We struggle to understand this God who is three in one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three distinct yet not three separate. This Sunday is Trinity Sunday for those who recognize liturgical calendars and for all Christ followers the very concept of the Trinity is core to our understanding of God. Yet who really understands who can really grasp this God that is so far beyond us? I’m left asking myself what does it all mean…how does it change my life and the world around me?

Even though the exact relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is beyond me their purpose for us and intent are not. We are told that ‘we love because God first loved us’ (1 John 4:19) and Jesus tells us that ‘All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ (Matthew 22:40) What commandments?

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:37-39

God Himself is love and the greatest thing that God desires from us is love! Love God first and foremost and from the love that God has shown us flows love for my neighbor…even my enemies. We may have philosophical or theological debates about the nature of this life but one thing is certain. If you claim to be a follower of Christ then you are to love. Not a selfish love like the world loves where, “I’ll love you if you do this” or “I’ll love you as long as you don’t do that” but a selfless love like God gives, broken and poured out loving us despite the things we’ve done or even will do.

1 John 4 may be the chapter on love but it also gives us a stern warning that must be headed…even if we don’t like what it says.

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:20

Yes our brothers (and sisters) may cause us hardships and pains yet by the Love of God poured out in us we can endure, we can persevere and in the doing our character will grow and with character hope that what we believe will come about. That God will not leave us here in the muck and the mire…but that He is coming back, for those who truly love.