Just Love

 

Love is the greatest and the most powerful value or virtue on earth. There is nothing love cannot do, it is incomparable, indefatigable, and eternal. Love cares, is kind, does not think evil, forgives wrongs and is not selfish.

There was a man who made so much impact on society from a poor background and did so many things like taking care of thousands of orphans, digging boreholes for several communities, sponsoring hundreds of children from primary education to higher institutions, and he built a foundation for people living with a disability. When this man was asked how he achieved this with no investment, he simply replied “Just Love”.

Love is enough. Where there is love, there is a way. God does not require much from us but love. When we love and wherever love is found, God moves. We could hear many people saying if they have anything to give to the poor, they would have given it gladly but do not know that no man has anything to give except that thing he or she has received. God, who is love, is the giver of all things. Apostle Paul asked, “what do we have that we have not received?”

From the answer given by the man above, we can understand clearly that we do not need to have millions of dollars or other forms of investment to change our communities or people's lives. Love is the only thing we need and that is what God has asked us to do. When we genuinely love people, God releases into our hands the heavenly resources needed to change lives. This means no one has any excuse for not making an impact in someone’s life, all we need to accomplish this is through love.

In several meetings, Kent and Ruth Hodge have shared their testimony of how their love for Africa brought them to Nigeria with just four dollars so many years ago. They had no savings or sponsors to take care of their needs with the little baby who was just a few months old. They were not thinking of themselves and their baby but of the people. If anyone around could ask Kent and Ruth what they have for the people of Africa; certainly, their answer would have been "nothing but just love’.

Was it the four dollars in their hands that would feed the poor, sponsor thousands of out-of-school children from primary to secondary education, empower windows and raise the standards of many across Africa? It was not the dollars but their lives. They left their own lives in God’s sufficient hands to save other lives. Loving people simply means leaving our lives in God’s hands to change people. True love for God is leaving our life in God to save lives. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1Tim. 2:3-4). Salvation is not just spiritual but holistic, it includes spirit, soul, and body. Jesus who is the embodiment of God’s love cared for the poor, sick, and abandoned. This is what love does; love provides, protects, and preserves. Anything short of this is not Love.

If you are one of those who have been asking how you can change people’s lives with no business or investment, the answer is just to love them. If it is the community you want to change, then you need to love the community or your Nation. Any distance covered began with one step. A step of love begins in our hearts. When God sees love in our hearts, He moves. Nothing moves God more than sincere love in our hearts, and anything that does not have its origin from love is doomed to fail. “But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.” (1 Cor. 13:8). 

As earlier said, no one can genuinely love without leaving his or her life in God’s hand, if not we will be wearied along the way. There are numerous temptations and challenges involved that only God can handle. This is why human love or love that originates from man suffers defeat and is tribalistic and biased, seeks its glory, and does not forgive wrong. This kind of love cannot save or change our communities, it will rather add to the wounds. We can genuinely love people only when we stand with God who has everything to supply. It is often said, "show me someone who loves God genuinely and I will show you a generous man."

Jesus asked Peter; “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” Simon responded, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you” and Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Feed My lambs." Yes, our love for God is measured by our love for our neighbours or those in need. So, the question now is; how much do you love God?

Love has changed us, and it is love in us that will change our communities, “For God so loved the world…”. We need to repent and go back to God so that we will possess a living faith that cares for the needy. We cannot claim to have faith when we do not have love. Faith is dead when there is no love because faith expresses itself through love.