Loved 

Imagine being in a relationship that was mostly one sided. They seldomly spend time with you. When you talk to them they don’t listen most of the time. When you call them they seldomly answer. You tell them that you love them, they say, “I know.” You text them and they don’t even open the text. Yet despite all of this they brag about the relationship. They tell everyone how much you love them. Most of us would not stay in this type of relationship. 

Jesus does though. He stays in this relationship though we neglect Him. He sends His Word and many never even open it. He speaks and people don’t listen. People are “too busy” to spend time with Him. Often with their own entertainment. We spend hours entertaining ourselves when we could be spending time with the one that saved us. Yet He still loves us. He still reaches for us. The Word says but God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8 KJV). Why, because he loved us first (1 John 4:19 NET), because of grace.

We cannot understand His love for us, we cannot understand grace. It is more than we can comprehend. 

Just because we don’t understand it doesn’t mean that we should neglect it. We shouldn’t take advantage of it. As it says in Romans 6:1-2 (KJV) 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? We should strive to do our best for God. We should love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might (Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV).

I say these things to provoke unto love and to good works (Hebrews 10:24 KJV). 

I pray that these words would cause that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love, you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:17-19 NET).

Romans 8:38-39 NET 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let’s look at this a little deeper. 

In John 21:15-17 we see a discourse between Jesus and Peter. On the surface we see Jesus asking Peter 3 times if he loves Him. If you look a little deeper at the meaning of the word love in these passages it takes on another meaning. Jesus is using the word “agapao” while Peter is using the word “phileo.” In the New Testament, “agapao” and “phileo” both translate to “love,” but they represent different nuances of love. Agape love is a selfless, unconditional love, often associated with divine love and commitment. Phileo love, on the other hand, is a more human, affectionate love, often associated with friendship and brotherly love. 

The first 2 times Jesus asks this question He uses agapao, but the third time Jesus settles for phileo. Now I believe Peter was having trouble with this not because of his lack of love for Jesus. Rather he was just coming off of denying Jesus and had the inward struggle of questioning his own love for Jesus. The fact remains that Jesus settled for a lesser love than He asked for. I would that Jesus never has to settle for less with us. 

Now as far as Peter goes from what we can see in scripture he never used phileo again. If you read his epistles it’s always agapao. Peter would write seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned (sincere) love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently (1 Peter 1:22 KJV). These are not the words of a man full of phileo love, but  sincere love, fervent love, 

agapao love. This is a man that has been changed. 

What settled this for Peter? Was it that he forgave himself and decided he did have this kind of love to give? Or is the answer in Romans 5:5 (KJV) …the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. This is agape/agapao love that was poured into Peter through the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Peter was given the ability to love like this. 

I hope this challenges us to love God fervently. To seek out the Holy Ghost to have this kind of love poured into us. So that we may not only love God this way, but each other. 

Mark 12:30-31 KJV 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.