Love
SABBATH AFTERNOONRead for This Week's Study:
Deut. 6:5, Matt. 5:43-48, Matt. 7:12, 22:39, Luke 10:25-37, 1 Cor. 13:4-7.
Memory Text:
"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13, NKJV).
It is no accident that Paul's list of the character traits that identify the fruit of the Spirit begins with love. Love is the paramount virtue for Christians because it is the trait that most characterizes God. It was love that motivated God to create us, to sustain us, to make Himself known to us, and to give us His Son in order to redeem us.John says it so plainly and simply--"God is love" (1 John 4:16). Because love is so central to His character, love must be central to ours, as well. "He who abides in love abides in God, and God in him" (vs. 16, NKJV).
Unfortunately, the word love is used so loosely today. We often say that we love the weather, we love our favorite food, we love our dog. But these kinds of love do not pass the test of true Godlike love(see 1 Corinthians 13). It's something altogether different, something that impacts our entire existence, our way of life, our way of relating to others. The ingredients of love are a package, not a list from which we select those most appealing to us while we disregard the rest. That's not, as we'll see this week, what true love is all about.
*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 9.
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