The Deeper Connotation of Love and Its Influence on Our Bond with God

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, greetings to you, our listeners. Thank you for tuning in. My name is Regina Jemison. Welcome to the Moor of God. I am here with my brother, doug Smith, hey, hey, and we are here to talk to you today about a foundation of love. A foundation of love. I was listening to this song called Simply Redeemed, by Brian Courtney Wilson and he's one of my favorite gospel Christian music artists and there's this phrase in there where he talks about our relationship to God and that we are purchased by love, and that really struck me. That really struck me and that is inspiring our episode today. So I want us to talk about what that means in our lives, because, to me, what that spoke to is that the foundation of our relationship with God is love. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. It's all about love. And so what does that mean to you? How does that speak to you? How does that challenge you? But the foundation of it all is love. And we have a lot of foundations to different things and to different relationships in our life, but the key relationship, our relationship with God, what it's built on, is love. So how does that strike?

you, doug. I think, before we can even go down that path, I think we have to talk a little bit about what love is, because love means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, and the love that we're talking about can easily be dismissed or overlooked in terms of this manufactured, hallmark love that we have grown up on, or a bastardized version of what God's intention for love really was supposed to be about, and so I think it's worth grounding ourselves in a good definition of what that is love. I'll take a stab at starting that conversation. It's a sacrificial action. We always say that love is an action verb, so sacrifice is part of love, giving is part of love, forgiveness is part of love. Those are some of those critical elements that, if you look at the love letter that God gave to us in the form of the Bible, it is you'll see those things, those themes, throughout his letter. In fact it's even recorded for God so loved the world that he sacrificed, that he gave up his son, and so we have to be very careful and cognizant that, if we're going to talk about being redeemed, and being redeemed by love, that we don't make the mistake of getting into our great school fantasy fantasies about what love is. It's not the I like you, do you like me, circle, yes or no. It's a bit more than that, right? It's a bit more than the you know officer in a gentleman movie when they're walking into the plant with the dress blues on and sweeping the lady off of her feet. It's a bit more than that. It's, you know. Are you willing to die for another person? I often say this I would take a bullet for my wife or for my children. I don't want to, but I will if I have to. I'm not looking forward to it by any means, but I will if I have to. Love prompts us to do things that we might not otherwise do to lift up other the object of our love, right? So, regina, what do you think?

What would you add?

to that definition.

I think that's good and I think that I think, to talk about what love is, we also have to say what love is not. And I think you've implicitly said that when you talk about the, not the fantasy, not the imaginary. Even the, some of the definitions in commonly used dictionaries talk about deep affection and feeling deeply. And I think that I would say the kind of love that we're talking about is way more than that. It's not fanciful, it's not imaginary, it's not, it's not fleeting, it's not about a feeling Right, you know, it really isn't about a feeling I love. The key elements you said is sacrifice and action, and there's a connection there, and so it's not about on again today, off tomorrow, you know, coming and going. It's not that. It is the consistent kind of yes, sacrifice keeps ringing through, the consistent kind of sacrifice, the consistent kind of moving towards, the consistent kind of giving and and wanting the best for that Person. And so I think that it's important that that we're clear when we talk about that kind of love being the foundation of our relationship with God. It is the really, it is the foundation it is. We can see it in action in other relationships, you know spouse, parent, child, and and it's important that we not cheapen what it is Right, that we not pretend it doesn't take something to love, pretend that that love isn't, you know, isn't about that feeling and it isn't even about you know, like I often say, you know, I love my spouse but I don't always like her. Right, you know, there are certain key people I love, doug, but I don't always like them. To get some of my nerves. Sometimes right, it's like but, but, but. But. Love brings you back to the center, to the core of that relationship. Love returns you to your. I think real love has the, the ability to return you to yourself and to return you to what's important. Those are the kinds of characteristics that show up in a real loving relationship, in and of course, that's what we're asserting is possible in a relationship with God and that's what's possible in the relationship that God connects you to keep people in your life.

And so the, the author of first Corinthians, chapter 13, verses four through eight, says it perfectly love his patient of his kind does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil or rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But there are prophecies that will cease where there are our tongues. They will be still where there is knowledge. It will pass away. When you think about the goodness of God, think about all the times that he's been patient, all the times that he does not dishonor us Right, we might dishonor ourselves, and in the moment that we are doing things wrong and we ask God to step in, he does not make a fool out of us. He's not easily angered when you ask him for forgiveness. He cast that thing as far as east is from the West. He rejoices in truth. He's always there to protect us, always there to try to build trust with us. He's always hopeful for us. He always persevere and he never fails. The, the, that text is so emblematic of, of the, the perfect definition of love wrapped up in a promise that God has for us. I'm going to be completely honest. I've said this in many different forums that I have to ask God frequently to help me love people, because I'm not there yet. All of what I just said in terms of love, being patient, kind and all that stuff. On a good day I might give that to like five or six people, but it's not worldwide yet. I'm a work in progress. But if we look at what God has, he has and is freely willing to give us that type of love on day one, no matter where we find ourselves, we can be a murderer and seek God and that love is instantly available to us. We could be the pastor's pastor and still that love is available to us and through that love, once we can authentically have that love with him, then we can love that way with others.

Yeah, and I think that's key that we can, when we can cultivate and nourish that relationship with God. It makes something available in our relationship with other people that really isn't possible otherwise. You know that there is something about when you connect with God deeply, when you are the benefactor of God's patience with God's way of reminding us who we are and that we are loved, god's way of always being dependable and always being available. When you're steeped in that relationship, it makes something available in your day-to-day relationships that really makes a difference that really otherwise wouldn't be there. I'm so sure that the patience I have with people sometimes is only God's doing, because I am nobody. I don't have patience with people. I can be quick to judge or quick to anger, but I know God works through me and there are a lot of times that anger passes so quickly it's not even present with people. There are times when you know I go to say or think something or text something or do something and it passes in a millisecond and I know that's only God. I know that's only the product of my relationship, relationship with God, my constantly seeking after God, praying to God, in conversation with God, that it makes me better with other people and it points to what you were saying, doug. It's like and I ain't nearly where I need to be, where I should be, where I could be, but I ain't where I was either. And I do pretty decent work in the world with people because of God, you know. And so I think that if you can hear us, sisters and brothers, that if you are seeking something that's missing in your relationships, in your career, in your finances, in your worship, if you're seeking something and it seems like something's off or something's missing, if you return yourself to the truth that you are redeemed by God, by love, that you are, the foundation of your relationship with God is because God loves you, that you are unconditionally, unfailingly, consistently and unequivocally loved by God. If you can hold onto that truth, it really can settle in your soul some things that might challenge you.

I like that. I like that Shall we talk about the, the price, the cost of love for a moment? Because, as you were bringing in our introducing our episode today and talking about that, we were purchased, we were redeemed, basically on the back of a love note right, if I could use that term. And that's not a small thing, you know, it's not a small thing to put yourself out there onto death for a whole bunch of people that you have that will ridicule you, that will talk about your dirty, that would betray you, that would deny they ever knew you, that would doubt you. And yet this man was willing to take all of that on, not just for the time that he spent on earth, but 2000 plus years later, that redemption, that love note, is still paying the bill for us today. I wonder if there are any people who understand the depth of his love and are paying it forward.

That's a good question. I think that when you, when I hear you describe the life of Jesus Christ and his relationship to humanity, I think that what we could hold on to and really seek to put into practice because we're talking about love and action love is a sacrifice, right that. What we could hold on to is how can I make the cost that was paid? How can I make that known in the world? Well, I need to say that a little differently. It's how do you honor that cost? How do you honor that cost in your actions, in your daily life? How do you honor the cost of life? I mean, how do you honor the cost of and how do we sacrifice in our own relationships to make love real for others? That's really what we're talking about. How do we, what kinds of actions are we taking? What kinds of conversations are we having? What kinds of? You know it could be as simple as what. Are the books that you read that reflect love and a life of love? What are the? How does your day get structured when you are present to being loved in a life of love, and the cost of that? What kinds of ways do you spend your money when you are present to the cost of love and living a life of love on that foundation. How do you invest your time, moment to moment, day to day? You know, those are the kinds of questions I'm putting to you and myself. You know that I'm putting to you, or listeners, is I want you to consider, to reflect, to journal. What are the answers to those questions for you? Right, so that we really do honor the cost of love and really make love known in a concrete way? Yep, that's my, that's my thought and suggestion about that.

So I think that's a good place for us to land at, just to give some, some folks some time to have a sea lot moment where they can pause and reflect. You know, wherever you are, whatever you're going through, whatever your circumstance there is always room for love. And here is the secret sauce the more you love others, the more love you yourself will feel. It's a boomerang. So, having said that, let's go to God and prayer. Father, we thank you for an opportunity just to just to speak on the biggest thing that you've ever done for us, which is to love us. We don't claim for a moment that we totally understand the depth and the breadth of your love, god. We struggle, we toil with it, but we know that it is there. We aspire right now to be more like you, be more loving, be more patient, be more kind. Father, we ask that you would just open up our hearts and our minds, that we would be able to receive what you have shared with us today. And, father, if it is in your will, protect us and guide us until we are able to come back together one more time. And these things we pray, thank God, amen.