What About Love?

John 1:15-21 (NLT)
15“If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,  who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” 


If you're a follower of Christ, have you ever really stopped to think about why? I mean, other than the obvious aversion to the prospect of being sent to hell when Jesus returns, what motivation at it's core drives your effort? 

Some may hold captive in their hearts the vision of an eternal prize and the glorious goal of residing in the certain wonders of Heaven - who could blame them? Knowing just a little about the amazingly amazing and unlimited creativity of our Creator God, the imagination has a seemingly impossible task of trying to visualize the beauty and grandeur that could possibly await us. Recognizing that our present residence here on this earth with all of it's natural beauty was only intended to be a temporary one, what far more mind blowing things could we find waiting for us in our permanent home? The possibilities boggle the mind... 

 1 Corinthians 2:9 "That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”"

Some others are likely looking forward to the next chapter of eternity as an escape and I personally don't blame them either. With all of the evil that sin brought to infest the innocence of creation, there's a lot of suffering and weariness to contend with. Disease, decay and the seemingly unending manifestations of evil minds has the opportunity to make life in this world a rough and tiresome challenge for some.

Certainly the prospects of having a glorious environment and perfect bodies without defect or decay are more than desireable... but what about love as the sole motivation for our journey to follow Him?

In all that we find here that is pure, peaceful, beautiful and pleasant, we find just a glimpse of the heart and mind of the God who created us. And within us, the desire for those things is found in the image that we were created in - so imagine the source - we were created in the image of the true and perfect original. Within us is a mere lesser reflection of an all holy, righteous and just God who points out His own identity in the pure and beautiful things we behold, both around us and in us. 

In everything that He's created, done, made available and  told us, He's revealed who He is and what He wants and His desire to share it. From the beginning, His efforts have revealed a holy courtship. He's come bearing beauty, purity, patience, kindness, grace, forgiveness and so much more that is desireable, far more than we can imagine... and far more than we deserve. His unending and overt displays of love and affection for us require an answer.

So, what's at the true core of our motivation to follow Christ? Is it for what He can give us? Or is it purely for the beauty of all that He Himself is? And if it's for the astoundingly amazing person of God Himself, does the well of our passion run deep - given the fullness of His obvious passion demonstrated for us?

The God who gives His all to us in His courtship of us requires an answer...

What about love?