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Q. What is so different about God's love?

A. It's rooted in the Person doing the loving. Every one of us wants to be loved. The problem is so much depends on our desirability. Even if someone knew everything about me that I know about myself, wouldn't it be great to be loved anyway, as is?

There is only one type of love like that—agape love. It has God as its exclusive source. The New Testament says, "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person. Though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5: 7-8).

How do we handle this undeserved love?

God's love is the best thing we can receive. Then, the best thing we can do in life is love like God. It means loving others even if they hate us. It means loving them on the basis of the love that comes out of us rather than anything that is attractive about them or their behavior. It is our greatest opportunity to be like God, to have His love completed in us.

How does that work?

1 John 4:12 says, "If we love one another … his love is made complete in us." The only way people can see God is when they see the love of God in us as exhibited in relationship to other people.

Think of Christmas lights wired in series. The electricity comes into the wire, goes to the bulb and through its filament, back into the line, on to the next bulb and so on throughout the entire chain of lights. As it flows, the circuit is completed and the string of lights is bright. If there's a light loose or a filament broken, it receives the electricity but doesn't pass it along to others.

In a sense, God has wired us like Christmas lights. He's wired us to receive the love of God; he's also wired us to pass it along to others.

—Leith Anderson is senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Credits: Adapted from—Saturday: Preaching Today (188)

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