Love-An Essential Need in the World Today

Love… a beautiful word in any language. What does it bring to mind: affection, care, warmth, kindness, understanding, security, and mother? But think for yourself, what does this beautiful word really mean? Do you want to be loved? Do you love?

God is love and his love abiding in your heart can help you love and be loved. The source of all love is God. 1 John 4:16 reads, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” No one will ever be truly successful in finding or experiencing love unless he seeks it in and through God.

Some of the opposites of love are hatred, mistrust, selfishness, and war. We need only look at many of the conditions prevailing in the world and in many families to understand that there is a desperate need for love.

How about you? Do you feel you are loved? Do you feel an ache in your heart, a loneliness that will not go away because you feel no affection, no warmth? Do you at times feel that no one really cares? Have you grown up with parents who did not really love each other or their children? These feelings are common in today’s world where the prevailing attitude seems to be me first. An aching heart is the result of an individual indulging in his own selfish interests.

Love is not a sensual attraction that seeks to gratify its own passion, often at the expense of the other person. This attraction, which some may call love, is selfishness because it seeks its own enjoyment. Love does not promote one’s own honor or pleasure.

Complete text of: Love-An Essential Need in the World Today

The difficult things that life brings us are not an indication that God does not love us. God at times allows us to experience difficulty for our good. A parent with true love does not always give a child what he wants, but rather restrains him for the child’s benefit.

Love is self-sacrificing. True love seeks the good of others. Love is warm, sympathetic, kind. If we really love, we will care for the present and future well-being of those near to us. A loving husband and father will display his affection for his wife and children. He will gladly give and sacrifice of himself to provide an atmosphere of love and well-being. A wife and mother who truly loves will respect her husband and will instill in her children a sense of respect and love for their parents and for each other. She will gladly provide a haven of security and tranquility for all in the family. Christ exemplified love by his undeserved death on the cross.

If you feel the need of love—if there is an emptiness in your heart—you can find true love. You can find this by giving yourself to God. God loves you with a tender, caring compassion that knows no bounds. He cares for you and wants to share and help you through all the heartaches of life. If you feel alone and think that no one really cares, you can rest assured that the One who gave his Son for you does feel all your heartache and grief. In your loneliest hours and your most dismal days, He will be there to give you comfort, strength, and direction if you turn to Him.

If you do not know how to reach God, just pour out your heart to Him and He will hear. If you feel you can hardly trust anyone, not even God, tell Him so. Then ask Him to show you the way.

If you feel you are a sinner without hope of ever finding forgiveness and love, come to God with all your heart, repenting of and leaving your past sins. He will be your loving Father if you come to Him with all your heart and are willing to obey in all that He asks of you.

When God forgives and accepts you, you will feel his love and gain a relationship with Him that nothing can take away. This relationship will only be broken if we turn away from Him.

As you come to know the love of God and lose your love of self, you will find security. The security of knowing you are loved opens your heart to really care about others. You will no longer be so concerned about how people treat you. You will find that you are concerned about the needs of your fellowmen and that you have a keen desire to be of service to the God who loves you. When your affections are turned away from self, God will bless you and open your mind to many truths. The teaching in 1 Corinthians 13 will help you understand this.

When we give ourselves to God, we become a part of his family. ”Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1) One way to identify others that are a part of this family is by their love for each other. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). This is genuine love… love that cares, shares, and corrects.

If you want to know more about love, read the Gospel of John. Read Isaiah 53, where the prophet tells of the sacrifice Jesus would make for us. Read the promises in Psalm 91. Read Psalm 23. Let God lead you as you continue reading.

There can be an end to your loneliness and unhappiness. Let God take control of your life. Experience God’s love, one of the greatest blessings available to man. May God bless you.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13

In the following verses, charity means love.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

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What Is It All About?

I started out in life so carefree and happy. I was like a little butterfly with beautiful wings and a world of flowers to see. Life seemed wonderful as I looked to the future.

It didn’t take long and my views changed. I realized I had to perform to be accepted. Life seemed like a circus. There were hoops held out far into the future. If I jumped through the rings I received approval. If I didn’t—well—everybody else did.

Life became a performance. Leap through the rings; make the football team, or the cheerleading squad, or the honor roll. Go to the right college and get a degree. I did some things I wished I hadn’t, but everybody else did them—so—go on and hope to forget. Get a good job and make lots of money. At the right time get married, have the correct number of children, buy a house—a nice big house, and a better car. I think I’m getting tired. Join a club—not any old club, but the right club—jump, jump, jump. Retirement, I have to think about retirement—buy stocks, sell stocks—hit some bumps, go, go, go.

And suddenly, I stand before the last hoop. But, it isn’t round, it’s rectangular, and it’s in the ground. The grass stops at the ragged edges. Here is where it all ends.

What happened to me anyway? Life wasn’t supposed to be this way. Where is the little butterfly with the beautiful wings? What happened to the flowers? Was I truly happy? What about my soul? Is this what it’s all about?

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“God, what happened?”

“I’m glad you finally asked,” God said. “I will take you back and show you what went wrong and what your life could have been, if you would have chosen my way.”

“When you were a child, I was with you. All children are in my care (Matthew 19:13-14). Don’t you remember the little butterfly with the beautiful wings?”

My heart ached as I recalled those happy, innocent days—gone, forever gone.

God continued, “The time came when you became responsible for your decisions. Do you remember that argument you had with your mom? It made you feel terrible, but you wouldn’t admit that you were wrong. You chose to take your own way.”

“I tried to stop you. Do you remember when your closest friend died? The lonesome feeling you had—that was me, talking to you. Deep in your heart you knew things weren’t right, but you were afraid to change. You were afraid of what your friends would think, so you ignored me, and drifted farther away from me.”

God’s voice grew sad. “Do you remember your years in college?”

“Oh! God, don’t remind me. I’m trying to forget those days,” I begged.

Gently, God said, “Forgetting doesn’t take care of the sin (Ecclesiastes 12:14). I would have been glad to forgive you if you would have asked—but you never asked (1 John 1:9). All those times you felt lonely and sad, that was me, calling you, but you didn’t listen. Do you remember when you landed that good job? The pay was terrific, but did it do for you what you thought it would? (1 Timothy 6:9). I tried to tell you that contentment comes only from me. For a while you did consider taking my way, but it seemed too hard so you followed your own way. Oh, if only you would have come to me, I would have given you what you were searching for—peace in your heart, peace in your home, and confidence about the future” (Matthew 11:28).

God continued, “You were so busy. I tried talking to you on those cool beautiful evenings, but you didn’t hear. I tried to get your attention during the storms. I thought you might be listening, but you weren’t. If only you would have listened, I could have helped you solve those problems between you and your spouse. It would have prevented so many heartaches” (1 Peter 3:7).

“If you would have prayed and asked me for wisdom, I would have helped you to deal with your son. It could be so different now (Proverbs 29:17). But no, you were too busy, too wise, too big a man to turn to me.”

As God turned away, He said, “You wasted your life on your own selfish whims, and now you are lost forever.” And then I felt myself slipping away from God, away—away.

Lost—forever lost! What does it mean? It means being away from God—forever—in a place of torment prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 13:41-42). But you can change this. If you know things are not right with your life, admit it. Turn to God, repent of your sin, and surrender your will to Him (Acts 2:37-38). God loves you, and wants to forgive you (John 3:16). The price has already been paid (Romans 5:8-11). Jesus died on the cross in your place. He paid the ransom so you could be saved. You can have peace and rest in your heart, and in the end—heaven (John 14:1-3).

This is what it is all about.

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Evidence of Personal Salvation

Does the Bible give an answer to the often asked question whether or not a person can have an evidence of salvation? Can a person know if his sins are forgiven or not, or must he wait until Judgment Day to find out? It would be most unfortunate and risky to leave this most important question unsettled until then.

Yes, one may know, and the Lord wants us to be sure that we are saved. His invitation is “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world [sinners, everyone], that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It is true that by nature all have sinned and come short of doing the will of God.

Man needs a Savior in his unregenerate state. He is dead in sin and trespass, lost, and needs a Savior to save him. Our kind and merciful heavenly Father has provided salvation through Jesus Christ for all who avail themselves of his wonderful grace. He shed his blood and died on the cross a “propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2). It is necessary for a sinner to feel the need of cleansing and forgiveness of sins, imploring “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). In contrition he acknowledges his guilt and confesses his sins, first to God, and also makes proper restitution with men. He looks in faith to “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus then forgives his sins.

God gives evidence of forgiveness of sins in various ways. Sometimes He says in plain words “thy sins are forgiven thee” (Luke 5:20). If our sins are forgiven us, we have peace with God. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). (Having been confirmed, baptized, or being a member of a church does not constitute a new birth). “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is born again (anew) as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This is a spiritual birth. A natural birth produces a natural life, but a spiritual birth produces a spiritual life. Spiritual life is effected by being “born of water (the Word of God) and of the Spirit” (John 3:5).

A person born of the Spirit is risen from the dead (spiritual death) and seeks “those things which are above” (Colossians 3:1). “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

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“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). Their affections are set on things above and not on things on the earth. They will mortify (deaden) their members which are upon the earth: not be carnally minded nor follow the course and desires of nature. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16). The Spirit of God assures: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17).

When “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5), we will be reaching out for heavenly things: loving and feeding on the Holy Scriptures and witnessing for our Lord.

This love from God reaches farther than natural love and family ties. It enables one to love his enemies and those who may hate him (Matthew 5:44).

The Lord Jesus taught when He commissioned his disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Converts, born again Christians, are to be received into the Church of God through water baptism by spiritually alive, called-of-God ministers. A prayer life naturally follows a Christian experience. Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath. Through prayer spiritual strength and vigor are replenished to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10); to be able to “hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11).

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