Love Has Backbone

God is love. 

Love is not politically correct, completely inclusive above all else. Nor is love highly judgemental, critical or cynical. Love cares for justice, the needy, the lonely, the abandoned, love cares for everyone but does not tolerate everything. Love has no fear. 

When our motives in life spring from the love of God within us then they are pure, and passionate and gracious and strong. Love has the courage of conviction. Love finds a way where there is no way. Love is tenacious. 

The Apostle Paul put it this way:

"Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self- seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]."

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Amplified Bible).

This is love, love with backbone, non-sentimental, beautiful, creative, glorious love. This kind of Love decided to humble Himself and hang on a cross for a people and a world that rejected Him. The Bible says love is stronger than death. Love creates warm and brave people not a conveyor belt full of soft and sickly personalities.

Christianity is different from any other belief system in many ways, but for me, primarily at the heart of this faith isn't a god who needs to be appeased or a god who demands to be loved and adored but a God through Jesus Christ who loves us completely and brought us into true peace in Him.

This kind of love and grace is so overwhelming it causes us to give our all. If we haven't really experienced God then we won't understand that glorious compulsion. This compulsion is not an external legalistic imposition but an inward decision of a free man in Christ. Upon reading the responses of the early disciples to their new life in the love of Christ. I do not find any room in their hearts for passivity or apathy or inactivity in extending the Kingdom being justified as 'resting in grace'. Grace is free but it it not cheap. We need a people to arise motivated by love just like Jesus to draw a line in the sand and with great conviction stand up and bring hope into situations of despair and condemnation. 

The spirit of the age is fear. Let our conviction of truth in the Word of God be immersed in the love of the Father, the grace of Jesus and the dynamic fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Perfect love casts our all fear. Perfect love is never compromised by fear and perfect love has backbone and conviction to stand for truth.