John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
 
So, why doesn’t everyone simply have this kind of love? Why didn’t God simply make us to exude this love from the get-go?
 
The short answer is…He did.
 
Frankly, you were made by God as a loud-speaker and a jumbotron for the expression of this kind of love; because its origin is God. God wants this love spread everywhere because it is who He is.
 
The expression of God through us to others is filtered by us. Think of it this way, God desires to express through you who He is. That doesn’t mean you get out of the way, it means that you get in the way. You become so much like Him, that there is no sinful resistance in you.
 
Jesus says it like this…
 
John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
 
True love, the agape love is the purest expression of God that can exist, because God is love. When we are one with God, we will bear the fruit of God in the lives of others. There is no resistance or blockage, the sap runs all the way out to the fruit bearing branch.
 
What keeps that from happening is selfishness.
 
The core of true love is care, trust and wanting to accomplish things together. Selfishness stands as a direct afront to true love. Selfishness is a result of our being in this world touched by sin and succumbing to it.
 
To be a child of God is to adopt a way of living directly opposite of selfishness. I am not sure it could be stated more plainly than what the Apostle Paul said.
 
Philippians 2:1-4 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
 
If you choose to read further in that passage, the perfect example of true love is described as Jesus. He gave His life to humanity as a sacrifice for our sin. He laid down His life for His future friends. We couldn’t appreciate what He did when He did it, He received no immediate return on His great investment into our lives. His reward would come later.
 
Agape kind of love, what I call true love – is available to us to receive and to release to others. the old root in us must be pulled up though. The root of selfishness.
 
In closing, we have been talking about love. And in each of the building blocks of true love, we can find Jesus speaking about demonstrating true love, heavenly love.
 
Make a commitment today to live in this love. Ask the Lord to help you see how possible it is to live in this heavenly love. This will absolutely change you and others around you.
 
Father, thank You for true love. As often as we think about being a loving person, You gave us Jesus as our example. We confess our selfishness. We turn from that and ask that You would help us see a different way to be. Jesus, You are love and we want to be like You. Thank You for Your great sacrifice, making a way for us to know and give true love away.    

Blessings, 
Pastor D