For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
In a world obsessed with fairy tale romances and fleeting feelings, we often chase a version of love that leaves us empty, always searching for more. But what if the love we are truly longing for isn’t something we can conjure through chemistry or circumstance? The love of Christ offers something deeper, unchanging, sacrificial, and soul-filling. For God so “loved” world that he gave up Christ… What does this love look like in us and what does it mean for us. Let us find out.
As we celebrate the risen Christ this season, we are often surrounded by vivid reminders of His pain and suffering. While it is important to grasp the depth of Christ’s sacrifice, we must not overlook the driving force behind it all, God’s love. From the very beginning, love was His motive. It was love that moved God to say, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion..” (Genesis 1:26). He did not just create us to reflect Him, He entrusted us with authority in alignment with His nature.
Love is also the reason God gave up His most precious treasure, Himself, in order to reconcile what humanly could never be reconciled. As Romans 5:7–8 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.”
Today, the challenge before us is that we have drifted from the true meaning of love. We have allowed the distractions of the flesh to distort love into mere sentiment, trading selfless sacrifice for shallow feelings.
Contemporary vs. Eternal Love
“Love is patient, love is kind. It 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 but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…” (1 Corinthians 13:4–8)
Paul wrote these words to the Corinthian church, and over time they have become one of the most quoted scriptures at weddings, often removed from their original context. Today, many people do not even know these words come from the Bible. As Andrew Miller observes, “for most of the people in our communities, ‘love’ evokes sex and sentimentality more than steadfastness and sacrifice.” A quick image search for “love” confirms this: red hearts, perfect couples, romantic scenes, but rarely, if ever, a crucified Christ.
To be clear, this is not a dismissal of romance or human affection. I value the love we share with family, friends, and even in romantic relationships. These expressions of love matter deeply. But Scripture tells us that all these forms of love are mere reflections, signposts pointing us toward the greatest love of all, the love that compelled God to become man and give Himself for us.
Paul says, “Love never fails.” And while human relationships often end, friendships fade, and feelings change. When has the love of Christ ever failed? When has His sacrifice been reversed or His mercy paused? The answer is never! Eternal love stands unmatched, steadfast, selfless, and unfailing.
The Command and Reward of Eternal Love
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are My friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in My name the Father will give you. This is My command: Love each other.” (John 15:13–17)
Christ’s command to love is not a gentle suggestion, it is a bold call to action that reshapes how we live, relate, and serve. “Love one another as I have loved you” is both an instruction and an example, anchored in self-giving, humility, and an eternal vision. This kind of love is not just an emotion, it is a powerful, transforming force that produces fruit: tangible good works that reflect Christ’s heart.
When we love this way, we walk in obedience, we affirm our friendship with Jesus, and we live out the purpose for which we were chosen. John 15 makes it clear eternal love bears lasting fruit, acts of compassion, justice, mercy, and grace that stem from a heart renewed by God. This love is both the command and the reward. It awakens our faith and makes it visible, shining through our good works as living witnesses to a world in desperate need of hope.
Finding Christ’s Love Again
To the church in Ephesus… I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance… You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. (Revelation 2:1-4)
As we celebrate the victorious resurrection of Christ, we are called to return to something deeply personal and essential: God’s sacrificial love. For many believers, it is easy to fall into routine, to carry out good works, endure hardship, and stay outwardly faithful, yet quietly drift from the passion and depth of our first love.
Christ’s rebuke to the Ephesian church still echoes today. It is not enough to do the right things, we must also love rightly. The invitation is simple but profound: find Christ’s love again. We do this by examining ourselves against the standard of love that Paul outlines, “Love is patient, love is kind…” (1 Corinthians 13). Are we patient with others? Are we kind to ourselves? Do we harbor envy or hold grudges? These are not rhetorical questions, but necessary checkpoints in the ongoing audit of our hearts.
Only through honest reflection can we rediscover the sacrificial, unfailing love of Christ, the love that once stirred our hearts and transformed our lives. And even once we find it again, the work is not over. This audit must become a regular part of our walk, so we never lose sight of the One who first loved us.
Through Christ’s resurrection, the very power that raised Him from the grave is made available to us each and every day. That power is the power of love and the power to love. It is not distant or abstract, but a living reality that transforms hearts, restores relationships, and fuels acts of mercy and grace. We would be wise to embrace it, not just in moments of celebration, but in the daily rhythm of our lives, allowing it to shape who we are and how we love.
Prayer
Lord God,
I come before You with a heart open to Your searching gaze. Audit me, examine my life for the evidence of Christ’s love. Show me where I fall short of the love You’ve called me, to where patience runs thin, where kindness is lacking, where pride and self-seeking still linger. Uncover every place where bitterness hides, where love has grown cold, or where I have chosen comfort over compassion.
By the power of Your Holy Spirit, restore what is missing. Shape me into a vessel that protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres in love. Let the love of Christ not just dwell in theory within me, but take root and bear fruit through my words, actions, and relationships.
May Your perfect love overflow in my life, never failing and never fading.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.