Armed With Love

1 John 4:13-17

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. (1 John 4:16)

DURING THE REFORMATION, many people contending for their understanding of the true Christian faith spent quite a bit of time and effort in arming themselves with truth. Generally, that’s a good thing to do. Scripture teaches us to be grounded in truth, to contend for it and stand firm in it, and to live out the purity and simplicity of the true faith. But something tragic happened in the midst of the Reformation and counter-reformations since. As people armed themselves with truth (as they saw it), they forgot to arm themselves with love. And because the truth of God’s Word emphasizes the priority of his love, that’s a problem.

If you are made in God’s image, and if he is love, then your inevitable purpose is to embody love. No other purpose can trump this one. All other purposes you have sought and all other prayers you have prayed are wrapped up in this overarching design. When you walk in love, you walk into the specific calling you have been given. When you increase in love, you increase in the divine power and wisdom you have been promised. You discover insights you wouldn’t otherwise have seen, you experience miracles you wouldn’t otherwise have experienced, and you get answers to prayer you wouldn’t otherwise have received. Love is a vital key to unlocking almost all of the treasures of God’s Kingdom.

You cannot manufacture this love; it has to come from the God who defines himself by it. But a prayer to be filled with his love is clearly in line with his will and certain to be answered. If you are like many Christians, this request may not be at the top of your prayer list, and you may not be nearly as diligent in cultivating love as you are in training yourself in truth. But this is God’s priority for us: that we each embody his nature, which he portrays as love above all other characteristics. It’s who he is—and who we are called to be with everyone we know.

{Lord, help me keep first things first—to express your heart and embody your love. Your truth is always packaged in compassion, affection, and concern. May the words I say always be bathed in your love. Amen.