God is love, but who are you? Does it ever feel like there are two of you: A you that tries to love, but doesn’t love…like an imposter AND a you that doesn’t really TRY to love, but DOES love…like God, a you that loves in freedom?
Listen to 1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved let us love (that’s a funny way to say it huh? It doesn’t say, “Work really hard at love,” rather it says, “Let—Allow love to happen”). Beloved LET us love one another for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God. God is love.”
God is Love, and Love is incorruptible (aphtharsia in Greek).
In 1 Corinthians 15, which is after 13 (the love chapter), Paul writes this:
For this corruption, must put on the incorruptible (aptharsia), and this mortal body must put on immortality. When (the corruptible) puts on (the incorruptible), and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death (Hades) where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, (believing you could create love) and the power of sin is the law (the description of Love). But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (Who is Love). Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (Your love is incorruptible).
See? It’s like there’s an old corruptible imposter of a man that you think you create, that cannot love. And a new incorruptible man that God has created that does love, for he is constructed of incorruptible Love like a waterfall is constructed of water. I think the waterfall could say, “I am water,” even though it isn’t all water.
So, God is Love, and I am . . . what? I am constructed with the blood of Christ, which is to flow through me like blood through a body. Paul told us, we are members of Christ’s body, so my new man knows: “It’s no longer I who live but Christ in me.”
In Ephesians 4:20 Paul told us: “To learn Christ is to ‘put off the old man…who is corrupt through deceitful desires, and put on the new man, created (already created) after the image of God.’”
The New Man loves but doesn’t take credit for love like a waterfall flows but doesn’t take credit for the water.
The old man doesn’t love,
But he isn’t to be condemned for that lack of love,
For he’s already been condemned at the cross.
And it’s not like he could’ve done differently; He’s incapable of Love.
Love is God’s feelings, God’s choice, God’s work in us.
See? Your work does not create Love, but Love creates your free will; Love is free will.
And you may say, “But what do I have to do?” Well, I’m not sure you have to do anything. The old man can do nothing, and the New Man doesn’t have to do anything; He’s free; He doesn’t have to do anything, but desires to do everything. He desires to love because He is Love, and God is Love.
If you see that, if you learn that, if you see Christ and so learn Christ then you will look at yourself from time to time and think, “Hey, look at that: I’m patient and kind; I’m not jealous or boastful; By Love, I think I loved!” But you won’t take credit for the love. You will thank God for the love, which is the presence of more Love.
And if on another occasion, you look at yourself and say, “Hey, I was arrogant and rude; I was jealous and boastful: I didn’t love,” you will then say, “Hey that’s not me; that’s a lie about me; that’s not the new man…but the old man.”
And just that exposes the old man and destroys the old man, and in the place of the old man is a desire for the New Man.
In the place of sin is a desire for Grace.
In the place of “not love” is a desire for Love, which is, in fact, Love.
“Where sin increased, Grace abounded all the more.”
So the old man is a space in which the New Man is revealed.
See? LOVE wastes NOTHING!
And you don’t create love: Love creates you. And you don’t work love (but trust me), Love will work you, and in this world of space and time, Love is always working . . . until you enter His rest and are finished. Love is working you and all things. God’s will is Love, and God’s will is that you would love.
Ephesians 1:10 God gets what God wills.
Ephesians 3:18 God wills to fill you with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 4:10 Jesus descended and ascended, in order to fill all things.
So don’t let any religious person tell you: “To do God’s will you have to become a pastor, or a monk, or meditate in a cave.” God’s will is that you would love, wherever you are, and Love is working itself out, wherever you are. To be in God’s will, just do what you do—in love. That is who you are and what you were made for.
Love is not a tool to get other things done.
All creation is an instrument to get Love done.
God is Love, and Love in you is God in you, and that’s the incorruptible you. That is who you really are!
Kimberly Weynen, Peter Hiett’s assistant, prepared this devotional. It is primarily a compilation of excerpts from Peter’s full sermon entitled “Love Incorruptible.” You can read, listen to or watch it in its entirety here:https://relentless-love.org/sermons/love-incorruptible/
*Discussion questions are available here: Discussion Questions “Love Incorruptible”