Two weeks ago, God has touched my heart and I was inspired to reflect on love, in particular, the love that spouses have for each other. If marriage is our gift from God, how are we called to love exactly?
Is it the passionate and blazing fire of a lover's love? Is it the raw desire of the flesh? Probably, part of it... I think that the wild flame is a manifestation of a more fundamental desire of our spirits, that is the desire for companionship. There is a void in the human heart, which is only fulfilled by unfailing love.
Love is such a big, deep, broad and oftentimes, confusing, word. Too many personalities and organizations have a "say" on what it is. As Christians, we know the truth that God is Love. To love God and our neighbors is Jesus Christ's greatest command.
I'll admit that Paul is my favorite apostle. His letters are heartfelt, sincere and just stunningly crafted. As an avid reader and a frustrated writer, I admire his works so much. He perfectly described love in 1 Corinthians 13. It is everything nice and good. It never fails - a promise we hold on dearly. It keeps no records of wrongs. It doesn't delight in evil but rejoices in truth.
Love is forgiving and merciful but it is always for justice. Justice sounds like contrary to love sometimes because it can evoke fear and cruel images of punishment. However, justice is of love. There is no fear in perfect love (1 John 4:18). Rather than punishment, justice can be thought of as healing [The Bible Project also explained this in one of their videos].
When Jesus started His ministry, majority of His work were to heal the sick. This has continued all throughout His life... Was it just for him to heal even the sinners? Well, there is nothing we can ever do to make ourselves worthy and blameless before God. It is through the cross we are saved.
Love looks beyond sinfulness and the pain brought by it. It rejoices in the victory of Christ. A true lover of Christ will live according to God's will and not abuse God's almighty love, thinking they have a free ticket to heaven. Love is entwined with the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. We are called to live out the wisdom of the fear of the Lord in every aspect of our lives.
Proverbs 18: 5
It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the innocent of justice.
Psalms 15:4
[He] who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts.
And so, while it is true that our love for our partner or spouse should be like a lover's love and like Paul's description of love, our love should also be like our love for justice.
Justice is a big word. (Yeap, it is!) It deals with a lot of emotions. I would argue that it is even more passionate and blazing than that of a lover's love. Justice inspires people to fight and never accept what is not due. We see that in our courts... It is not uncommon to have long, long trials... People with grievances do not give up easily. The emotions burning inside us compels us to continue fighting on. How much more if we combine that kind of love with a lover's love?
Justice is never possible without the fear of the Lord. Because of it, we know we can't play with human hearts and human lives, or else we will face God's wrath (and the wrath of other people too). In justice, we keep our commitments even if it hurts. We are enraged because of our love for justice.
I thank God for this revelation. He reminded me that love is not just feelings but true love is of righteousness and justice always.