Agape Love...Love With No Expectations

Wrote this yesterday, but just getting it posted today.

Romans 5:8

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁸But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.

Valentine's Day is a day that we set aside to tell those we love how much they mean to us and usually we express that love with gifts. Today I am thinking about how much God loved me. The scripture says He loved me while I was yet a sinner. Before I made a move toward Him, He committed His life to me as a gift. We normally love conditionally. That is to say, many times we give with an expectation to get something in return. We hate to admit it, but if we are brutally honest, we know this is true. We talk about having the love of God and loving others that same way, but we are pitifully short of what the true nature of agape love really is. In 1 Corinthians we are challenged to focus on love. The Greek word that is used there is agape. Agape is translated "charity" in the KJV of the scripture. Charity is a word that simply explained means that agape love is expressed by giving that places on expectation of personal return along with it. If you give to a charitable organization, you release your gift unconditionally with no personal expectation of gain. 


It is hard to love people with that unconditional type of love. People seem to always be...well...people. They let you down, they hurt you, they are inconsiderate, and they don't deserve it. But...neither did we deserve the love that Jesus gave us. We deserved to die, to go to hell, and to live eternally with out the light of God. So as we think about expressing our love to others, let's trust that as we give our heart to others that God can take that love, plant it in the heart of people around us and yield fruit from it. I have been the recipient of that kind of love from the Lord and from others too. When I was the most unlovely, God loved me through His people and I responded. It was my choice and I made it. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. Will everyone we love respond?? NO. But if we love just because it is the right thing to do, we can leave all that up to Christ...just sayin'