Love That Transforms…It is Yours if You Want It!

Have you experienced love that is so powerful that it totally changes your life? Can you say that you have experienced a life change that has finally given you peace and joy? You are destined for transformation as you accept this profound love!

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We throw the word love around rather carelessly. It is used in a lot of different ways: to describe the food we eat and the places we enjoy; to describe our favorite sports teams and our day off. We use love to describe relationships that are friendly, family or romantic.

There is a love that is so powerful that it changes everything. This love that comes from God is one that defines the very nature of God: God is love (1 John 4:8). This word appears in the New Testament numerous times and is the Greek word agape.

How do we describe agape?

It is perfect. There are no flaws or shortcomings in it. This kind of love finds perfection of expression and perfection of application.

It is unconditional. That means it is not earned but given. It doesn’t depend on what we do it depends on the nature of the giver! Since God is love and is perfect and gracious, he lavishes this love on us. We cannot do anything or go anywhere that would cut off God’s love from us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38–39)

It is powerful. This is the love of God that seeks after his highest creation – mankind – in order to bring us into relationship with him. And it can totally transform a life. Transformation is a powerful word and is something that is desperately needed in every life.

What is transformation?

When you think about transformation, the best example in all nature is the butterfly. The butterfly undergoes a transformation when it emerges from the cocoon that it had woven for itself when it was a caterpillar.
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When this love invades our lives, we are similarly transformed. We are changed from the inside out. It starts with a changed heart. When we allow God to transform us with his love, he changes our heart. He removes all the sin, all the self-seeking, all the guilt, all the self-loathing. We become captivated first in our hearts by his great love.

Then he begins to work on our minds. He changes the way we think about things and people. He enables us to love unconditionally just as he loves! Our attitudes change. Compassion and forgiveness replace judgmentalism and retribution.

When our attitudes and thoughts change our actions follow close behind.

How is transformational love expressed?

The most sublime expression of that love was in the Jesus. Three things Jesus did demonstrate his ongoing love.

His healing ministry was far reaching. There is not a single recorded incident of someone seeking healing and turned away. Although on a couple of occasions Jesus challenged the faith of those who came, his compassion moved him to heal everyone! That was the expression of love applied to physical needs that was so desperately needed in these lives.

His teaching ministry was also a profound expression of love. Peter exclaimed: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69) The words Jesus spoke had the power to change hearts and lives. He proclaimed the truth and it was saturated in love.

His redeeming ministry changed the course of history. When he died for the sins of the world, he abruptly collided with the ways of the world to give new life to all who would believe. When he was resurrected he conquered the greatest enemy and greatest fear of mankind – death!

And now, for us…to love

God’s love can now be expressed in our lives as well. When we allow God to have our lives, he manifests his love in and through our lives! We become like Jesus, so we participate in his nature and his work!

Healing becomes part of our lives. God’s love in us compels us to seek the healing of others. This healing is expressed in prayer and concerns not just physical health but emotional, spiritual and relational health as well.

We also have words of life that we can share with others. He empowers us to use words that transform. Many are given a spiritual gift of teaching and all are given the power to transform lives by sharing words of truth from God.

Like Jesus, we have a redeeming and reconciling ministry. We cannot give our lives to save someone as Jesus did but we have the motivation to see all people saved. So we pray and share the good news so that everyone might build a great relationship with God.

Your Turn

Love from God is expressed in so many ways. When we love with this great love of God, it comes out over and over. When his transforming love is made real in our daily lives we are everything he wants us to be!

Today, allow God to invade your life with his love. This experience is yours when you finally say yes to him! Give him your life and ask him to lead you every step of your life – from now on! Then, he will begin to fill you with his love.

Now it is up to you to share it with someone else! As you share God’s love, your capacity for it increases. He in turn fills you up and continually keeps you full and growing in that love! Pass this on to your friends and family to help them experience the transforming love of God as well!