The subject of God’s everlasting love interests everyone. People are ready to listen to discussions about love for hours. Yet for many, this interest never develops any further.
Consider, for example, a radio tuned to a particular frequency, even though thousands of frequencies are available. As long as it remains tuned to that one frequency, it has no idea what is being broadcast on another. But if its settings are changed and it is tuned to the desired frequency, it will receive the intended broadcast.
In talking with people, I have noticed that many of them are tuned to their own frequency. Some are preoccupied with personal problems, some are concerned about their future, and others are completely absorbed in business or everyday matters. You tell them something, but they look at you with a distant expression. As a result, you begin to pray that the Lord will preserve in their minds at least the thought that the subject of everlasting love is extremely important and that they need to study it for themselves. Fortunately, there are also those who truly understand the importance of this subject and desire to gain the necessary knowledge and experience.
It brings me such joy when, in answer to my prayers, I meet people who have heard God’s call: “Begin to love; begin to study this subject.” I gladly share my knowledge and skills with those who truly need them. As I do so, God continues to teach me and reveals more and more new things to me.
“Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is His name; Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:2–3, KJV). I love this promise and often appeal to it in prayer: “Lord, I call upon You. Please show me great and mighty things that I do not know.” He continually gives me an understanding of spiritual truths that I may have heard before but did not understand. First He gives me an understanding of the truth, and then He gives me the opportunity to experience it.
Now is a good time to study the subject of everlasting love. Soon this peaceful time will end, and learning will become increasingly difficult. Wars, persecution, and chaos will begin. If I do not learn to love while circumstances are favorable, the oil in my lamp will soon run out, and its flame will go out. If I have run with the footmen and they have wearied me, how can I contend with horses? (see Jeremiah 12:5).
A lack of love
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12, KJV). Is this prophecy being fulfilled today? Is it being fulfilled in God’s church? Sadly, yes. Christ foresaw this and foretold the present state of affairs.
When we read about the early apostolic church, we may get the impression that everyone simply loved one another and that there were no serious conflicts among the believers. But when we look at the church of our day, we are amazed at how precisely this prophecy is being fulfilled. Yet does God want our love to grow cold? God desires us to love one another. Do we know how to love as God wants us to? Do we even understand what love is? If I answer all these questions honestly, my answer is no.
We see a problem both in my life and in the life of every one of us: a lack of God’s love in our relationships with one another. The good news is that God wants to teach us to love one another and thereby fulfill His commandment. He sent His Son to show us the ideal of love toward which we can strive and which, to some extent, we can attain even in this life, in our bodies and minds. Is this possible? Yes. But we are not capable of it on our own.
Let me give an example that will help us understand how love works and what steps we need to take in order to learn to love.
Imagine that I begin to pray, “Lord, teach me to play the piano.” I believe that the Lord has heard my prayer. He is the Ruler of the universe and gladly answers prayers like this. What do I do next? Acting in faith, I sit down at the piano and begin to play, for example, “The Flea Waltz.” I prayed, and here is the result: I am playing. If I keep praying, I will be able to play this piece perfectly with my eyes closed. In a year, I will be able to take on students and teach them to play.
I can see the smile on your face. “That is not how it works!” you may object, and I agree with you. This example clearly shows how absurd it is to try to master an art by our own efforts alone. The same principles of learning that apply to music also apply in the school of Christ. Prayer alone is not enough for spiritual growth. To master music, I must first enroll in a music school and learn to read music. Will I teach myself, or will someone teach me? Yes, I need a professional teacher. Must that teacher be different from me? Yes. He must know how to play the instrument he intends to teach me, and he must also know how to read music.
Will my newly acquired skills be evident after the first lesson? Hardly! I will gain knowledge, but no significant change will be visible. Only through consistent practice will I acquire the ability to play the instrument—provided, of course, that I am not tone-deaf.
The good news is that absolutely everyone is accepted into God’s school—not only those who are gifted, talented, or capable. God accepts everyone. He gave everyone the commandment to love one another. Knowing our human nature, He said, “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren” (Matthew 23:8, KJV). God has given no one the right to teach people in His school except His Son, Jesus Christ.
Matthew 10:24 says, “The disciple is not above his master” (KJV). If I know how to play only “The Flea Waltz” and begin teaching others to play the piano, what will I teach them? Exactly! I will teach them to play only that tune. But if a professional undertakes their instruction, different results will become evident over time.
If I go to a professional to learn to play a musical instrument, will he demand that I perform a symphony immediately? Of course not! In the process of teaching us to love, God likewise follows a progression from simple things to more difficult ones. Some learn quickly and others slowly, depending on their abilities. We have a kind Teacher, and He finds the right approach for everyone who enrolls in the school of His love.
Without love, we will perish
We live in a time that is dangerous for the soul, and temptations surround us on every side. God does not want me to perish in this world of passion and lust. He has a plan that involves coming out of and separating from the world. The person best able to resist temptation is the one who maintains a close connection with God every second of life. Love, as a special gift from Heaven, helps us maintain this connection and have the right motive behind every good deed and word. When a child of God reaches this stage of faith and receives God’s love in all its fullness, God’s blessing comes with this gift.
I will not stand through the trials of the last days unless I possess this gift in all its fullness. Without love, I will simply lose my mind in this world while still thinking that I am sane. I do not know what awaits me in the future, but God knows and is preparing me. Love purifies the heart and thoughts, gives peace, and keeps the emotions under control. It shows the way out of the most difficult situation.
Love always has something to say, but not everyone hears its voice. Therefore, my dear readers, I urge you to make it your life’s goal to attain perfect love. Ask for help from above! Run, walk, or crawl toward this goal until you reach it. And may God help you in this!
Understanding the value of love
God wants us to understand what heavenly love is, and understanding this subject is vitally important. Why? Because when we ask Him to give us love, He gives us exactly what we envision, although He desires to give us incomparably more.
Why, then, is this priceless gift withheld? Because if I do not understand the nature and purpose of the gift, I will not value what is priceless in the eyes of Heaven, nor will I be able to use it when I receive it. Purity of heart reveals the value of heavenly love and awakens an immeasurable thirst for this gift.
What the enemy of souls fears most is seeing God’s children filled with love. He understands that their influence breaks the power of his temptations and draws souls to Christ. What good will all our health centers, health-food stores, health clubs, and meetings do if there is no love there for those we desire to save? Without truth and love, we will merely produce healthy sinners in this world.
When I write to you about love, my friends, I know what I am writing about. Those who love understand what I mean and rejoice when they see this power at work within themselves. God bestows His love on everyone who trusts Him, and He allows those who seek it most persistently to experience the amazing power of His love in its fullness. Therefore, seek and you will find; ask and you will receive! God is ready to give all the riches of Heaven to those who desperately need them.
I love!
All the truth presented by the prophets and apostles in the pages of the Bible can be summed up in two words: “I love.” This is the Gospel that transforms me from within. If I do not understand this message, all other truths may be misunderstood or not understood at all. Why? Because God’s purpose is to teach me to love. Love softens all the solid food we receive through God’s Word and through our life experiences. It reveals what God wants from us and how He works in our lives, and it also helps us share with others the very truth that God has revealed to us.
If I speak about salvation but do not have love, how will my message sound? It will not always sound right. God uses certain people to draw others to Himself. Yet in the end, those people perish because they have done nothing to change their own hearts and have remained “as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” In the opening verses of 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul speaks clearly about the problems that inevitably arise when we try to live the Christian life, do good works, take the Gospel to the world, and know all the truth, but do not have love.
We are someone or something only when love lives within us!