In our last visit we saw that our motive for loving God and others is His love for us. This is clearly stated in 1st John 4:19-21. When we receive God’s love gift of Salvation through trusting in His Son Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit enters our hearts.
The Holy Spirit’s nature, as God, is to love. When He comes into our hearts He begins to pour out God’s love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). The tense of the verb in the original language explains this process with the phrase, “He begins to pour out God’s love into our hearts and continues to do so.” There is a constant flow available, like an artesian well, with an infinite supply. As it bubbles up within us we are motivated to give expression of it to God in our worship and to others in our serving them in tangible ways.
No wonder Jesus said to the disciples in John 13:34, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” In our own strength we would not be able to faithfully fulfill this command. But since God has put within us an artesian well, flowing with His love, our mandate to love one another can be fulfilled.
We have no excuse. We can’t legitimately say, “I can’t love so and so.” With His love we can. It’s a matter of uncapping the flow bubbling up from the infinite supply coming from the heart of God. It’s a choice. That’s why Jesus presents it as a commandment. We can love others “by faith.” This is our mandate.
