Love
A revelation about myself may have been what caused the Holy Spirit to inspire this writing.
All of my life, if I really loved someone or something, I was 100% committed. I have been the same in other areas but especially love. If I loved someone or something, it has always been hard for me to find fault with them. But if I just liked someone, I saw those faults and many times became disillusioned or even disgusted with them or it.
I’ve known for the majority of my life that love is blind but “like” is not. Respect is not blind either. I think most of us have respected someone only to have them betray that respect.
Respect is and should always be earned and not just given! A topic I could write volumes on but… back to love.
It is my love for God that I write what comes to me and my love for you that you must endure my writings. You have a place in my heart so I want to share with you. The desire to share being one of the traits of love. Love is never selfish.
Love doesn’t put time limits or dates on things. Sure, we can say “when” we started loving someone. I have loved my wife for 39 years and my children for their entire lives. I have loved my sister Valerie since before she was born. I have loved her husband, Jeff since the first time I met him. I have loved Brother Jeff B. for over 20 years… Brother Keith P. For more than 5 years… Samuel for 17 and Tiffany his wife, since the first time we met.
But love does not discern time! When I think of those that I love it is as if they have been a part of me forever.
I love you and that is it! Oh love can be betrayed, but if it was true, then it can be regained. This requires both parties to put forth a lot of effort but it can be regained because it never goes completely away. I have loved people that did not love me and I figure the opposite is true also.
I think there are times when we don’t know that someone loves us. Either we don’t know how to see it or they don’t know how to show it. (Another topic a lot could be written about) People often confuse emotions or lust for love. But love, real love, is an affair of the heart and mind not an emotion or physical desire.
Although these can lead to love, they should never be confused with it! Some folks don’t know how to love at all or for some reason can’t love more than one or a very few others.
From my experience, this is because something else is consuming the majority of their heart. Sadly that something else is all too often not of God.
The words “I love you” should never be uttered without meaning that you truly love that person. We use that phrase to cover other things that don't even come close to the depth of the real meaning of love. There are different kinds of love. The scriptures speak of this.
All of the types of love spoken of in the Bible have one common factor… and that is a great depth of importance. The difficulty seems to be prioritizing them properly.
Emotions are superficial and always selfish! Give that some thought for a moment. Can you think of an emotion that isn’t all about you? If I’m sad, it’s about me. If I mourn, it’s about my loss. If I’m excited, it’s about my happiness and if I lust, it’s all about my flesh. Emotions are selfish, Period! I’ll end my commentary here or it will become a book.
There are at least 60 verses concerning love in the scriptures. I will address a few and many will confirm my commentary above.
John 3:16 for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
“for God so loved the world…” If we read about creation in Genesis, we understand that at the end of each day, when speaking of His works, God said that “it was good.” Everything was good. All of it with no exception.
I think every Christian at one time or another has thought '“how could God love someone like me?” I have heard unbelievers say “God would never love someone like me.” But that is not true! God saw everything He created was good and He loved all of it. “For God so loved the world...” That’s how God loves a wretch like me and everyone else, too.
The second part of the scripture shows God’s love too, “He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
Sin has a price. That price has always been the blood of the best there was. From the beginning people didn’t sacrifice their weak, sick, or old animals in atonement for their sin. They sacrificed the best they had! God loved us so very much that He sacrificed the ultimate object of perfection so that we had an avenue to live with Him in paradise forever and ever.
What we must do to receive it is to believe, repent and accept the salvation of the Lamb of God.
Matthew 22:37 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This verse has great depth and the more mature in Christ, the more depth is revealed on this subject. I also believe it is very easy for the newly saved to understand. When the fire of salvation burns bright, we are often more receptive to receiving understanding from the Holy Spirit.
This is why discipling the newly saved is critical for the advancement of their maturity in Christ Jesus and the Word of God.
This is a unique moment in time to be writing on this scripture. If someone wanted to understand what loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind looks like, they only need to watch the live stream of the revival taking place in Kentucky at this very moment.
Our souls rejoice in true worship, and our mind grows in love when we engage in the study of the Word of God. Our heart increases in love by praying fervently and without ceasing.
Matthew 22:39 “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”
My experience with myself and observing others has shown me this may be one of the most difficult things to learn… and the easiest to forget. It is not our nature to care and love others like that. There is no room for selfishness in loving your neighbor as you love yourself.
Without selfishness, what’s left is only love and compassion. Now wouldn’t that make for an amazing environment! If we see our neighbor as God does, we realize that we have just as many faults as anyone else.
We start to reason that there may be a reason someone does something that might initially upset us. I really don’t believe that very many people do things with the intent to do us wrong. Those people do exist but they are few.
I came to realize that I had come to a point in my life where I could love my neighbor as myself. I was driving to town and on the way, a person in a car pulled out in front of me on a state hwy.
Well instead of calling them a name, I just said, “well buddy you didn’t do anything I haven’t done before,” and kept driving without another thought. I left early that morning because I had an errand to run before my appointment. Sure enough, out of routine, I pulled in the first turn lane at the big intersection where I would normally turn to go to the doctor’s office.
I quickly realized I needed to proceed forward instead of turn. There was room in the lane next to me to get my front end over in that lane but not enough to get the back end of my big old truck out of the turn lane. Traffic started to fill in and a big work truck hauling a septic tank pulled into the turn lane behind my truck.
Of course this intersection was one where the lights in the turn lanes come on before the rest and now I have this man’s truck blocked from proceeding. This guy got furious yelling profanities honking and giving me the bird. I was stuck and couldn’t go forward and couldn’t back up. All I could do was wait until the light turned green where I could go leaving this man to sit through another light cycle before he could go.
I felt horrible that I had caused this guy’s day to start off on such a bad note and I thought it would probably set the tone for his entire day. Now it wasn’t that long ago that if that same situation had happened, as soon as that fella started cussing me, I would have given him an opportunity to test his manhood. Those thoughts never crossed my mind. All I could do was feel bad that I had started his day out in such a bad mood.
I went on and got my errand finished and was still feeling bad about the whole situation when I realized that somewhere along the way God had changed me to the point that I was far more concerned about that man than my ego. A great victory had been won in my life and I praised the Lord for it.
Gathering and writing commentary on the scriptures I felt I needed to cover, God showed me this is the victory, this verse. I had somehow in the process of my dedication to serve the Kingdom of Heaven, somehow had learned to love my neighbor as my self! Glory to God in the Highest. Great things He hath done!
This final scripture I will cover is one that would generally go overlooked in studying the subject of love but it is the perfect example of love. They are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
John 16:7 “nevertheless I tell you the truth that it is to your advantage that I go away, the Helper will not come to you, but if I depart I will send Him to you.”
What a great act of love! The Lord knew He was to be sacrificed for mankind so that any would be able to dwell in Heaven for eternity. But the love that the Lord Jesus had for us was even deeper than His sacrifice. He was leaving behind a great Gift — The gift of the Holy Spirit, our Helper.
We that are called to serve God must also have the goal of leaving a legacy. Some sort of helper within our capabilities. Preachers leave a wake of leading people to the Lord and sermons that will be spoken of long after they are gone. Teachers leave knowledge that lead to wisdom.
I will leave behind my writings that I pray will be read far past my departure to Heaven. Everyone should strive to leave behind things that benefit the spiritual aspects of others. Whether it be discipleship, love, dedication, preachings or teachings, or prophecies.
I pray that we can get to a place where our only desire is to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Kenneth Kellar
A Man Called by God to Teach and Disciple