“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Pet. 4:8).

Earnest love is uncommon! It requires a commitment to sacrifice and servant-hood. Sometimes we think, “if we commit to really loving others, we might fall short or lose face”. I would suggest that you will find yourself in both situations. Love requires us to get overextended and even feel like we fail from time to time… because God’s love calls us to become vulnerable. Someone along the way will take advantage of us. But if you are like me, you are in no danger of loving too much, but loving in moderation. Moderation is hypocritical and evil in terms of keeping love real and spiritual.

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” (Rom. 12:9-11)

Our Moderate Love:

We must avoid loving by measure or calculating the cost in our minds. The Gospel of the Kingdom is about pulling our resources from another world. We love others based upon how God loved us, “moderate love is too small to be from God” (Lk. 7:47). I like how Jesus put it, “As the Father loved Me, so have I loved you – abide in My love” (Jn. 15:9). Jesus tells us that He loved us, in the same way and with the same passion as the Father loved Him… and that we could abide in that same flow of supernatural love. Being in Christ means you have the capacity to love without limit… and without hypocrisy.

You might have been loving and kind before you were in Christ. But you were selective in your love… way too guarded. Now you know just how much and how consistently God has loved you, and you have received it. Therefore, having received His love (Rom. 5:5), you have it as a resource in your life… everyday. So living “in Christ” means you can rejoice in the love you have and release it to others with a fervent heart. According to His great mercy, God has loved and embraced us as we are, so that we could be born again (1 Pet. 1:3) and live by a fresh power flowing through us by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). Trust Him and obey Him… and watch His love flow through you – to others.

God has a Better Way:

He will give you a love that goes beyond the old patterns. You are a New Man and you have been equipped with new purpose (2 Cor. 5:17-21)… A purpose to love others as Christ has loved you. When we merely restrain ourselves from anger or malice toward one another… it is not enough. We must show the beauty of Christ and love one another with all we have. Its our calling… to love earnestly. The Apostle Paul said some amazing things about true spirituality and becoming great in the Kingdom of God… and it is all about love!

1st) Your position in the Kingdom is not what makes you great! “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging 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, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:1-3)

2nd) Your gift in the Kingdom is not what makes you great! “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” (1 Cor. 12:27-31)

3rd) Your ability to love and serve others is what makes you great! “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Cor. 13:4-8)

And the greatest news of all is that in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We can hold onto the reality of love as an anchor to our soul. The Apostle Paul said, “I am persuaded… that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:37-39)

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