Ephesians 4:1–6 (NLT)
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
Ephesians 3:14–21 (NLT)
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
All We Need
JR
On July 7, 1967, the English rock band known as The Beatles, released a record-breaking hit song that would later become known as one of the anthems of the 1960s. The name of that song was, “All You Need Is Love.”
While the band believed its lyrics to be simple and easy to understand, many people since have come up with varying interpretations. Some are positive and meaningful. Others, often alluding to bad experiences with “so-called” love, are not so positive. Critics of the song often point out legitimate questions about whether love can realistically be “all” a person truly needs to make it in life.
Interestingly, the overarching message of the Bible (also topping the charts as a record-breaking wonder) is, all you need is love as well.
Is there a difference between the two messages?
Yes. Most certainly.
And…
No, not necessarily.
It depends on the type of love we’re talking about.
The iconic Beatles song, which could in part come from the Bible, is mostly used to refer to love rooted in human reasoning and understanding about what is good and right. On paper, this love is usually defined as wanting what is best for another and being willing to sacrifice toward that end. But in everyday life, it often seems to play out more like a search for relationships that:
It’s understandable why we humans are hungry for this kind of love. Living in a broken world that we were never designed to be able to endure leaves deep holes in our souls we long to fill with anything that promises relief. But this sometimes, crazy-making, “Twist And Shout” variety of love we turn to, with its hit-and-and miss assumptions about what things are and aren’t loving, often serves as a wrecking ball that deepens pits we were hoping to fill.
And it is complex. With all its exceptions, clauses, limitations, prenup -type contracts, etc., it can create problems that either need to be “worked out” or tossed out. Love that comes from the reasoning of broken-hearted humans (all of us) simply cannot be 100% pure 100% of the time.
On the other hand, the love song we call the Bible (which is often mistaken to prescribe human love), points us to God’s love. His love for humanity, and His love being poured out through any human who commits to receiving it on a regular basis (although still imperfectly sometimes). This love can also be defined as wanting what is best for another and being willing to sacrifice toward that end. But here’s how it jumps off the paper pages of our Bibles and plays out in real life.
God, who is love and defines Himself as love, designed humanity in His image (which is love). Everything that is beautiful and amazing about us is our design to both live in God’s love, and love with His love. We fulfill this purpose in the purest ways possible when we are being filled with His love – something that can only happen when we are walking and talking in a love relationship with Him.
When our hearts get filled up with God’s love by spending time with Him, it takes them over and becomes the “law” that rules everything we say and do.
Our loving God also provides every spiritual, mental, relational, material, and physical thing we need to fulfill our purpose of loving Him and each other with His love. Part of His provision is that He even works all things out (including the very worst that can happen in an unloving world) for the good of anyone who loves Him and is living out His purpose of loving with His love. This drives out any fear we may feel about loving others and enables us to love even our worst foes.
Humans who are experiencing the beauty of living in God’s love as well as living it out, naturally want this very best thing about their lives for everyone else (including enemies) and are willing to sacrifice toward this end.
All of this is why John tells us that love is the proof that we are in Christ. Or living in a loving relationship with God. Who is love.
(1 John 4:7-21; John 3:16; Genesis 1:27; John 15:1-17; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 11:13-21; Numbers 15:37-41; Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Psalm 15:5; 2 Peter 1:3-4; Philippians 4:16-19; Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:14-2)
All the pretty colors of God’s design for humanity and this world just keep looping back around to the exact same thing. “All You Need Is Love.” God’s love, that is. Matthew 6:33 says it this way; Seek First His Kingdom and His righteousness (which is, of course, God’s love) and all these things will be given to you as well. Groovy!
But unlike the psychedelic swirls of the ‘60s, God’s love is stabilizing. It does not make twisty-turny feelings, idealistic assumptions, or unrealistic emotions its foundation. It is rooted in stable standards of objective truth and set apart (Holy) from broken and wounded human love. Because of this, it is trustworthy and can be counted on.
Here’s how God’s love can become our “Ticket to Ride” out of the dysfunction human love can sometimes be…
The Bible calls God’s love (which looks, tastes, and smells like 1 Corinthians 13 when fleshed out through humanity), a kind of fruit. Of the Spirit. Not of human effort. The symbol given for the Holy Spirit is a flame. When you put your hand up close to a candle’s flame, it automatically gets warm. It is transformed. And you can’t stop this from happening unless you move it away from the flame. In the same way, it is only as we stay as close as possible to the Holy Spirit that He can clean, heal, and empty us of things that cause unfulfilling kinds of love rooted in human reasoning, and fill us with His kind of love (John 15:1-17). Then, what our hearts look like after experiencing the Presence of the Holy Spirit becomes “fruit” that naturally flows out to others (Luke 6:45 Galatians 5:22-23).
Love God first. Then (and ONLY then), love your neighbors, your brothers, your sisters, and even your enemies.
In your big, happy, yellow submarine.
We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
Reflection Questions
Love is often defined as wanting what is best for another and sacrificing toward that end. This seems pretty simple and straightforward. The confusion comes in when we start trying to determine what things are and aren't truly best for someone.
Human reasoning answers this question with various and sometimes, contradictory ideas. But the Bible gives us one simple answer that can be carried out in various ways. In its pages we find that what is best for anyone in all situations, under all circumstances, and at all times is God, Himself and the ability to live in a loving relationship with Him. This is how humanity was originally designed to live.
This one-size-fits-all gift covers many bases when it comes to any good thing we could possibly want for someone because:
- It draws people back to their true, amazing, and beautiful identity which is their ability to live in a loving relationshp with God and love others with the love He pours into them. This gives a sense of purpose.
- It provides the heart healing and life transformation no human can create in themselves or anyone else.
- It ensures that all kinds of needs will be met in the very best and healthiest ways possible (whether through the prompting of a brother or sister who is in tune with the Spirit or by miraculously dropping provisions at just the right times).
- It offers guidance in all decisions, transitions, and changes.
- It brings them into unity with others who are seeking the same help from God, giving them a place to belong regardless of whether or not they feel they are a “good fit.”
- It gives peace that passes all understanding and works all things together for good in even the worst of life’s circumstances. (Philippians 4:7 and Romans 8:28)
- It comforts and sustains in dark times.
We don’t have to enjoy someone, like them, have anything in common with them, agree on anything, or even feel safe with them to want what is very best for them. We don't even ever have to meet them, know their name, where they live, or understand their language. But if we sacrifice for them to know this relationship with God, we are loving them well.
1. What are some specific ways that loving people with God's love is different than loving them with my own human reasoning?
2. What are some ways I can help encourage and support my brothers and sisters in Christ to keep going deeper in their relationship with God?
3. What are some ways I can be a part of helping those who don’t know Christ to find a relationship with Him?
4. How does knowing that the best thing I could want for another (regardless of their circumstances) is for them to experience a relationship with God influence the ways I pray for people?