What is Agape Love? And are we loving others enough?

What is Agape (pronounced: agápē) Love? I asked the Lord the same thing after He told me that He was Agape Love. It was something that I wanted to understand on a deeper level. It was something that I had to understand. If God took enough time to tell me that He was this specific kind of love, it was beneficial for me to understand it, to understand the God who loves me more than I'll ever realize. Eventually, I came to see that this love can only come from our Heavenly Father. It's love beyond our understanding, but it's the love that God has for us.

According to some internet searches, I was right in my belief. Here's one definition that backed up what God was leading me to understand: Agape is used by Christians to express the unconditional love of God for His children.

But is that enough? I think we must understand what love is to understand agape.

Love is deep affection for other people. It doesn't have to be sexual love, and it certainly isn't lust. Love means caring about someone, willing to do anything for that person, and making sure that they are being taken care of, that they aren't suffering.

But love is deeper than this. GOD is love. (1 John 4:8)

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God understands love like we could never understand it. I think a mother's love is close to God love because they gave birth to that child, and since God created us, it has to be a similar love. But, still, I believe the way God loves is much deeper. Why?

Because of John 3:16.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God watched His Son die, so that we may live. Would you willingly give up your child? Even if it meant saving the world? I don't think I could do that. I don't think that I'd be able to sacrifice someone so precious to me, yet God did. 

So we see that because God loves us, He gave us the most precious gift in the world, eternal salvation through sacrificing His only Son.

But that's not the only gift that God has given us. He has given us His grace (unmerited favor) through His Son.  

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

Remember, God is love. Because He is love, He turns curses to blessings! Which ties in to grace because through grace we get these blessings. (Deuteronomy 23:5) Also, read Deuteronomy 28 if you want to know the blessings you'll get just from loving God back and obeying His commandments! This will also give you an idea of the curses He's turned to blessings!

but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.

See, this article isn't even long enough to describe just how much God loves us. Because when we try to break it down, it's impossible to count the ways that God (Agape Love) has shown us His love. What about when you were down and depressed, and He lifted you back up? Or when He gave you that job you were praying for? Or when He healed you? Or how about when you did absolutely nothing deserving of love, but He gave it to you anyway?

If God can love us unconditionally, no matter how many stupid mistakes we make, why can't we love others the same way? If this agape love is burning inside of us (It is because we've accepting God as savior.), then why can't we look at that person who hurt us and forgive them for doing whatever it was they did?

God is agape love. When we know God, we have His love inside of us. We have the ability to show God's love to others, but are we doing enough? We certainly aren't doing what He's doing, and we'll never be the kind of love God is, but we have enough of it inside of us to show others what true love really is. God.

God loved us enough to send His Son to earth with the whole purpose to die. Die. Can you imagine that being your only purpose for being alive? Could you imagine being the father or mother who knew that your child was doomed to die from the moment they were born, knowing that you could stop it, but you wouldn't? Because that would ruin everything. That would be the end of forgiveness, grace and mercy as you knew it, but God loved us enough to not to stop it. He loved us enough to watch His child DIE. He watched a part of Himself die just so that we, humans, could live. Is that the love running through you today? Of course it is, but what are we doing with this love?

I'm not saying it's easy because it's not. We let our emotions rule us, but when you think about all that God is, all that God does, shouldn't we at least try to love like our Father? Like the one who would do anything to show us that He does love us?

Agape love is deeper than the love we know, but we can tap into it. We have access to that love because God is love, and He's living within us. What more can we do today to show that love to others?

‘What do these stones mean?’ - Memorials of God's Mighty Work

In Joshua 3 and 4, God has dried up the waters of the Jordan for the Children of Israel, so that they could walk across dry land.  Just like He did for them at the Red Sea.  So this makes twice that God has dried up rivers for His children to cross without having to put themselves out to get on the other side of a large body of water. 

Why did He do this?  He makes that known in verse seven of chapter three:

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

 Despite some of the things that the children of Israel had done to anger God, they were still His chosen people.  He had given them a promised land, and they were journeying to it.  So, they had to cross this river, the Jordan, as part of their journey.

But, just like God had taken care of them as they fled Egypt, He was going to take care of them now.  

 
...all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.  (Joshua 3:17 ESV)

But, as they finished crossing over, God told them to make a memorial of twelve stones.

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” (Joshua 4:1-3 ESV)

Why were they to make this memorial?  Why do we make memorials at all?  To remember someone, something, some event, that was important.

 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over^, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” (Joshua 4:21-24 ESV)

The twelve stones represented the twelve tribes of Israel who crossed over dry land.  That was a miracle!  That showed the mighty hand of God! 

This verse led me to think about what stones we have in our lives.  What are our memorials?  Our memorials are the testimonies that we have.  Have you been healed?  That's a stone memorial.  Have you been to the brink of breaking but rose back up again?  That's a stone memorial.  What has God done for you that is your memorial? 

More than that though, do we let these memorials be known?  Are our stone memorials visible or are we trying to hide them from the world?  

Don't hide the stone memorials of your life.  If you have something to share, share it!  Let the world know how mighty God is!  He performs miracles on a daily basis.  You woke up this morning.  You had food on the table, and you were able to get to work.  Don't be ashamed to let the world know that you have stone memorials.  

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord...(2 Timothy 1:8 ESV)

What are your memorials?  Share your testimonies and uplift someone else today!