God’s Gift Of Love

Every Christmas people all over the world make lists of things they want in hopes of receiving the items as gifts. However, there are things we all need or want that rarely make the list. One of them is love. Each person, including you, has the need for love. It’s included in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs after physiological needs like air, food, water and shelter, as well as safety needs. That’s pretty high on the list for something we need. Granted, different people need different levels of love and for it to be shown in different ways, but it is something we need and crave. When we don’t feel loved it stunts our creativity, our growth as an individual and can cause mental health issues. Love is more than intimacy too. It is being accepted, having a sense of belonging and being part of a group.

The greatest two commandments, according to Jesus, are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself. God knew He placed this need in us so He commanded us to fulfill it for them. To help us do that, He gave us the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in our lives. The first fruit that the Spirit produces is love. How well is that fruit growing in your life? God has given us these fruits in order to meet the needs and wants that we all have. You can probably name reasons why you think someone doesn’t deserve love or why you shouldn’t give it to them, Romans 5:8 tells us that God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, He sent His son to die for us. It’s not a matter of whether we think they deserve love or not. God thinks they do and puts us in their path to share His love with them.

In John 13:24-35 Jesus said, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (NLT). God’s gift of love to the world is to be carried in our lives and given to others freely. Not only is it a fruit that should be produced in our lives, it’s the way people will be able to tell and prove that we are His disciples. I’m sure you can think of people who need God’s love right now. Ask God to give you ways to demonstrate it to them and to give you opportunities to show it. Whether they have their need to be loved on their Christmas list or not, they want it, and when we give them God’s love, we’ll be giving them the greatest gift of all.

Photo by Eli Pluma on Unsplash