We’re Loved To Love

In The Perfect Wave, before Ian discovers the true perfect wave of God’s love, his life is marked with problems. Other than the gnawing sense of dissatisfaction in his soul, his life is fraught with selfishness. This selfishness is evidenced in his relationships again and again: in New Zealand, he leaves his family at a moment’s notice; in Australia, he sleeps with whoever will sleep with him; in Bali, he drops his friend for a girl; and in South Africa, he jealously lashes out in violence against someone who is close to his girlfriend. His search for so-called freedom comes at the cost of relationships. But what’s behind this selfishness? Scripture is very clear.

Read Colossians 3:5-14.

The first part of this passage (v5-9) describes how, when our vertical relationship with God is broken, it shows up negatively in our horizontal relationships with people. In this letter to a church he helped start, Paul lists some of the relationally destructive behavior that Christ died to set us free from: sex outside of marriage, lust, anger, dishonesty, cutting words (v5-8). Outside of God, we tend to live with a ‘your life for me’ approach. As a default setting, we try to get from others what will help fulfill and advance ourselves. God detests this kind of living (v6).

The second part of this passage (v10-14) describes how, when our vertical relationship with God is restored, it shows up in our horizontal relationships with people. When Christ comes into our lives, we receive a new capacity for love (v10), evidenced in things like compassion, patience and forgiveness (v12-13). Love is a readiness to extend ourselves for the well-being of others. Instead of taking a ‘your life for me’ attitude toward relationships, we live with a ‘my life for you’ approach. We give, not take. We serve, we don’t use. The secret to this changed way of relating is to receive God’s love for us, and then to let our new identity as God’s ‘holy and loved’ children (v12) motivate and empower us to love others. We’re loved to love.

Have you seen how receiving God’s love empowers you to love others? How could you put this ‘my life for you’ approach into action today?