Love Unconditional

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11

Perhaps the pivotal character in the story as told in the movie Unconditional is Samantha’s husband, Billy, whose tragic death sets the scene for the events that unfold. Samantha’s husband was kind and generous. A man who loved people. He saved two-dollar bills to hand out to those in need. He did this to remind himself and others that love is like a two-dollar bill - there are millions in print, but they are hardly ever seen because people hoard them and hide them. He believed that love, like the two-dollar bill, should be given away, not hoarded. He would remark: “There’s enough love to go around; you just have to share it.”

The Deep Love of Jesus

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16 (NLT)

As followers of Jesus Christ, we can share His love with others. His love is not a fickle love that changes when circumstances change. But a love that He so freely gave when He died on the cross for you and me. A love that goes beyond our human understanding. I love how the hymn writer Samuel Trevor Francis describes the love of Jesus.

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of His love.

The love of Jesus cannot be contained. It is immeasurable. It knows no bounds. It is an overwhelming love that we can know, sense, and feel when we intentionally draw close to Him. When we intentionally abide in His love.

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. John 15:9-10 (NKJV)

Obeying His commandments gives us the freedom to abide in His unconditional love. A love that does not depend on our works. A love we cannot earn. It has been freely given to us. This is the love God wants us to give to others (Matthew 10:8). This is what Samantha’s husband, Billy, believed. When we share the love that God has poured into our hearts by His Holy Spirit, we share His hope that does not disappoint (Romans 5:5). We extend His grace and blessings (John 1:16–17). We extend a hand of love that can change the trajectory of someone’s life. Love is, as Samantha says in the movie, “the most powerful thing on earth. It can do amazing things.”

Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me! John Wesley

 

Reflection:

Think of ways that you can practically share His love.

Prayer:

Thank You, Lord, for Your amazing love for me. Thank You for freely giving Your love to me when You died on the cross. Help me to abide in Your love. Show me, Lord, how I can demonstrate Your love to others in practical ways. In Jesus’ name, amen.