“It was a bright Sunday morning in 18th century London, but Robert Robinson’s mood was anything but sunny. All along the street there were people hurrying to church, but in the midst of the crowd, Robinson was a lonely man. The sound of church bells reminded him of years past when his faith in God was strong and the church was an integral part of his life. It had been years since he set foot in a church—years of wandering, disillusionment, and gradual defection from the God he once loved. That love for God—once fiery and passionate—had slowly burned out within him, leaving him dark and cold inside.
Robinson heard the clip-clop, clip-clop of a horse-drawn cab approaching behind him. Turning, he lifted his hand to hail the driver. But then, he saw that the cab was occupied by a young woman dressed in finery for the Lord’s Day, he waved the driver on; however, the woman in the carriage ordered the carriage to be stopped. “Sir, I’d be happy to share this carriage with you,” she said to Robinson. “Are you going to church?” Robinson was about to decline, then he paused. “Yes,” he said at last. “I am going to church.” He stepped into the carriage and sat down beside the young woman.
As the carriage rolled forward, Robert Robinson and the woman exchanged introductions. There was a flash of recognition in her eyes when he stated his name. “That’s an interesting coincidence,” she said, reaching into her purse. She withdrew a small book of inspirational verse, opened it to a ribbon bookmark, and handed the book to him. “I was just reading a verse by a poet named Robert Robinson. Could it be…?”
He took the book, nodding. “Yes, I wrote these words years ago.”
“Oh, how wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Imagine! I’m sharing a carriage with the author of these very lines!”
But Robinson barely heard her. He was absorbed in the words he was reading. They were words that would one day be set to music and become a great hymn of the faith, familiar to generations of Christians:
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace’
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
His eyes slipped to the bottom of the page where he read:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it—
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
He could barely read the last few lines through the tears that brimmed in his eyes. “I wrote these words—and I’ve lived these words. ‘Prone to wander…prone to leave the God I love.’”
The woman suddenly understood. “You also wrote, ‘Here’s my heart, O take and seal it.’ You can offer your heart again to God, Mr. Robinson. It’s not too late.”
And it wasn’t too late for Robert Robinson. In that moment, he turned his heart back to God and walked with him the rest of his days. (Source: Courage to Begin Again, Ron Lee Davis)
What does your walk with God look like today? What does the phrase “the love of God” stir in your heart and mind? We must love others as God has loved us.
The Common Denominator (v. 7-8)
The common denominator in this passage is genuine love…and that genuine love is found in God. Genuine love in and through us reveals we have the Spirit of God in us – that we belong to Jesus. In the end, practicing and/or choosing genuine love makes us more like Jesus. So…
o God is love.
o Genuine love is the church’s identifier.
o Genuine love is a non-negotiable for a believer.
Years ago, my family stayed in the home of a sweet couple while we traveled on deputation (raising financial support to plant a new church). After our arrival, we had an hour or two to visit with them before the husband left for a brief fishing trip with a friend. He never came home. He had a massive heart attack at the wheel, rolled his car, and had passed into eternity before the car stopped rolling. His death was not anticipated. This past week my father shared with me the story of his neighbor who had a sudden massive heart attack at the dinner table, collapsed onto the table and he died instantaneously. His death was not expected. Several weeks ago, my son-in-law’s sister passed away. Her death was not expected. In the days that followed each of these deaths, friends from afar gathered together to share how much they loved the one who passed away.
“Whoever loves much, does much.”
– Thomas a’ Kempis
Why do we often wait to express our love for someone until they are gone? Why do we sometimes insist on nurturing emotional scars and offenses while our loved ones yet live, but declare our love when they are dead? What a difference the church makes when we simply love as God has called us to love one another!
The Uncommon Display (v. 9)
We often miss our motive for such a love for one another as we fixate on the sinful ways of mankind. I John 4:9 highlights our powerful motive with these reminders:
o We have sinned, too….
o We deserve judgement, as well….
o But, God showed His love for us in our sinful state and sent His only Son to save us!
God’s love is directed to us all and He is determined to give us life!
The story is told of a woman who left her husband. The husband called the police and filed a “missing person’s report.” A few weeks later the police found her a few counties over. They asked him if he wanted them to take him to her. By now the husband had realized how poorly he had treated his wife. He decided to write his wife, and he did for months. Finally, Christmas came, and he went to see her (she was in a run-down hotel). He asked her to come home and she did. On the way home he said, “I’ve written you for months, why did you come home so easily?”
She replied, “Because those were just letters, this time you came in person.” (Source: Unknown)
Christ came in person to show His love for you and me!
The Clear Distinction (v. 10)
This is the clarity of God’s love: God loved you even when you did not love Him! Make no mistake, God’s love was not…is not…shallow or fleeting. God’s love is sacrificial, selfless, and saving! God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to shed His blood for the purpose of covering our sin – satisfying the judgement for our own sin. What an incredible purpose! This is amazing love! So, since God loves us in all of our own imperfection, we can find motivation in Jesus’ love to love others (even if they sin differently than we do!).
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?”
The young boy was apologetic. “Please, mister, please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,” he pleaded. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop” With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. “It's my brother,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.” Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. “Thank you and may God bless you,” the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:
Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention! God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not. (Source: Unknown)
So, to sum it all up, here are 4 facts about genuine love:
1. Love loves first.
2. Love loves even without reciprocation.
3. Love loves to the point of sacrifice.
4. Love loves because God loves.
God chose you and loved you. May we choose to love others as God has loved us!