Love Divine
This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. (1 John 4:9)
You cannot be near to God without being affected by His divine love. Born in 1707, Charles Wesley, wrote ten poetic lines each day for 50 years; no wonder he is called the greatest hymn writer of all time. Ten lines each day may not sound like much, but it quickly adds up. To put it into perspective, if you were to sing one hymn every day, it would take you nearly 25 years to get through the 8,989 songs Wesley wrote. One of those hymns is titled, Love Divine, all Loves Excelling, and it was sung today at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in Westminster Abby, England. The hymn touches on various elements of Christian doctrine, including the praiseworthiness of God’s divine love as expressed in the incarnation of Christ.
In 1 John 4:9, the apostle seeks to describe the lavish love of God for us through the sending of His Son. The divine love of God was released through the sending of His Son to this world. The incarnation reminds us that Jesus did not seek to save us from a distance, rather He came to this broken and sinful earth so that we might live through Him. Here, John makes a significant distinction when he encourages his audience to live through Christ. The life he is referring to is not simply the physical existence of flesh, blood, and bones, rather it goes much deeper. The divine love of God was revealed so that we might live a life of eternal significance, a life that replaces bitterness with forgiveness, selfishness with generosity, and hate with love. Such a life is impossible unless God’s divine love, through Christ, fills our hearts. Could it be that is why Wesley included the following stanza:
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation,
Enter every trembling heart.
Today, let’s pray that the limitless love of God will allow us to see others through the excelling love of Christ towards us. No other love can motivate us towards God’s mission more than His love divine.
Reflect
In John 17:20-23, Jesus prays that the world would know that He was sent from God through the love and unity His followers show towards each other. How is God’s divine love and our personal/institutional mission connected?
How does getting closer to God’s divine love affect and effect your life?
