LOVE -- PART 3

YHVH’S LOVE

HOW DOES THE BIBLE DESCRIBE YHVH’S LOVE?

YHVH’S LOVE IS FORGIVING.
Heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to YHVH than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! -- Luke 15:7. We may be able to understand an Elohim Who would forgive sinners who come to Him for mercy. But an Elohim who tenderly searches for sinners and then joyfully forgives them must possess an extraordinary Love! This is the kind of Love that prompted Yeshua to come to earth to search for lost people and save them. This is the kind of extraordinary Love that YHVH has for you. If you feel far from YHVH, don’t despair. He is searching for you.

YHVH’S LOVE IS BEYOND MEASURE.
I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His Love. Death can’t and life can’t. The angels can’t and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow and even the powers of hell can’t keep Elohim’s Love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the Love of YHVH that is revealed in Yeshua Moshiach our Adonai. -- Romans 8:38-39. These Words were written to a church that would soon undergo terrible persecution. In just a few years, Paul’s hypothetical situations would turn into painful realities. This passage reaffirms YHVH’s profound Love for His people. No matter what happens to us, no matter where we are, we can never be lost to His Love. Suffering should not drive us away from YHVH; it should help us to identify with Him further and allow His Love to reach us and heal us.

YHVH’S LOVE IS ETERNAL.
These verses contain one of the most comforting promises in all Scripture. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms: persecution, illness, imprisonment, even death. These could cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Moshiach. But Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Moshiach. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable Love. Nothing can stop Moshiach’s constant presence with us. YHVH tells us how great His Love is so that we will feel totally secure in Him. If we believe these overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid.

YHVH’S LOVE IS SACRIFICIAL.
YHVH so Loved the world that He gave His Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. -- John 3:16. The entire gospel comes to a focus in this verse. Elohim’s Love is not static or self-centred; it reaches out and draws others in. Here YHVH sets the pattern of true Love, the basis for all love relationships-when you Love someone dearly, you are willing to pay dearly for that person’s responsive Love. YHVH paid dearly with the life of His Son, the highest price He could pay. Yeshua accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins and then offered us the new life that He had bought for us. When we share the gospel with others, our love must be like Yeshua's. We must be willing to give up our own comfort and security so that others might join us in receiving YHVH’s Love.

YHVH’S LOVE IS INEXHAUSTIBLE.
Give thanks to Elohim, for He is good! His faithful Love endures forever. -- Psalm 136:1. Repeated throughout this psalm is the phrase; -- His faithful Love endures forever. -- This psalm may have been a responsive reading, with the congregation saying these Words in unison after each sentence. The repetition made this important lesson sink in. YHVH’s Love includes aspects of Love, Kindness, Mercy and faithfulness. We never have to worry that YHVH will run out of Love, because it flows from a Well that will never run dry.

HUMAN LOVE

WHAT ARE THE BIBLICAL GUIDELINES FOR HUMAN LOVE?

LOVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. -- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. In chapter 12 Paul gave evidence of the Corinthians’ lack of Love in the utilization of spiritual gifts; chapter 13 defines real Love; and chapter 14 shows how Love works. Love is more important than all the Spiritual Gifts. Great faith, acts of dedication or sacrifice and miracle-working power produce very little without Love. Love makes our actions and gifts useful. Although people have different gifts, Love is available to everyone.