In 1985, there was a song written that some of you might know, and the chorus goes like this: “Don’t need money, don’t take fame, don’t need no credit card to ride this train; it’s strong and it’s sudden, and it’s cruel sometimes, but it might just save your life. That’s the power of love.” Don’t worry, I am not going to look at what Huey Lewis has to say about the power of love, but I do want to briefly consider what God’s Word teaches.
Of all the forces in the universe, love may be the most powerful. Love is more powerful than physical strength, it is more powerful than argument, and it’s even more powerful than everyone’s favorite force of all, sarcasm. In this article, I want to look at one way love can help us in our lives by looking at the power it has on us individually.
Whether we recognize it or not, every emotion we have affects us. When we hate someone, the person may suffer from our hatred, but what we don’t often realize is the effect that hatred has on us. In Star Wars, Yoda says that “hate leads to anger and anger leads to the dark side.” For us, as Christians, that dark side can become sin if we are not careful. Have you ever been angry and said or done something you would not have done otherwise? I have, and I know how embarrassing it is to go back and apologize later. Those of us who are Christians must also recognize that not only do our actions reflect on us, but they also reflect on the church, and our example can win or lose souls. Many souls have been lost because of the bad example of one Christian which makes the unbeliever jump to the conclusion that all Christians are that way. We must always remember that the world is watching us, and how we behave can lose and win souls.
On the other hand, loving people can bless them, but not to the degree that we are blessed. Acts 20:35 reads: “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. Also, remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. ‘” When Paul says “it is more blessed to give than to receive”, we often think about physical things like Christmas presents, but he is also talking about emotional gifts and spiritual gifts like gifts of love. We benefit from loving others.
The Bible says that love is something we owe everyone. “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8) So not only do we owe everyone love
Love makes us more like God. 1 John 4:8 says “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” So, by loving others, we are doing ourselves much good and obeying the Scriptures, but if we do not love others, we are not like God because God is love. By loving others, we become more like God, and that should be something we all want. That’s the power of love.