Where does love come from?
A song from 1965 talks about what the world needs and needs right now – love. The music and lyrics were written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach and it was sung by Jackie DeShannon. The subtext of the lyrics came out of the controversy and disagreement over the Vietnam War. It seems nothing much has changed in the last almost 60 years. We still have wars, and we still have disagreements, controversies, and protests.
The world does need love, but it doesn’t come from a song, and it doesn’t even come from our hearts, no matter how caring and noble we might think we are. Real, selfless, sacrificial love is specifically connected to one person who lived 2,000 years ago and flows out of the relationship of the Father and the Son and is given to us by the Holy Spirit. Any love we might have for another human being is intimately connected to his love for us. He has loved us, and in response to his love, we are to love one another in the same way he has loved us.
The heart of Christianity is the relationship of the Father and the Son and that’s where true, divine, selfless love comes from. We can’t truly love anyone, and we can’t obey the new command Jesus gave to love one another if the Holy Spirit doesn’t first put that love in our hearts. That’s where love comes from – the heart of the Father, as he loves the Son, through the Holy Spirit. That’s what the world needs now.
Study by Tammy Tkach
First published on 19 June 2024, at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com a personal blog which is not sponsored by Grace Communion International.
Tammy Tkach is the Assistant Pastor of the Eugene, Oregon, USA, Grace Communion International congregation. She is a speaker and writer, and publishes a blog at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com
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