Love in a Time of Selfishness
For Meditation
“The church in the United States looks suspiciously like the dominant culture rather than being an alternative to it.” - Phillip Kenneson
Pressure reveals priorities. The accumulated pressure of the last 11 months has revealed a lot not only about the society that we live in, but also about the ugly things that lie beneath the surface of our own lives. Paul calls these ugly things “the flesh,” and he lists “the fruit of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19-21. What characterizes all of these behaviors is self-centeredness, the ultimate fruit of human rebellion. When we removed God from the center of our lives and put our own appetites and desires at the center instead, the unholy fruit of selfishness is what follows.
Over and against our selfish inclinations, Paul calls us to bear the fruit of love. In biblical terms, love is not a sentimental feelings but other-oriented, sacrificial commitment. It is an orientation of the spirit that no longer lives for the self but lives for God and others. It is the fulfillment of the whole Law (Mark 12:28-31). Love is most embodied in Jesus himself, as he lives not for himself, but for those he came to save.
But how is love produced in us? The fruit of love is both gift and task. It is first of all a gift, that can only be produced in us by being anchored in the source of love, God himself. This is why before Jesus commands us to love, he calls us to “remain in my love” (John 15:9). So love begins with knowing we are loved and resting in the source of love. Then, Love is practiced. Paul commands us to “put on love” (Col. 3:14). Like any virtue, love takes practice, training ourselves away from selfishness and instead toward other-orientation. As we surrender to the Holy Spirit and cooperate with the Spirit’s leading, we find the fruit of love being slowly developed in us.
As you prepare for worship this week, contemplate Jesus’ love for you. Breathe deeply and hear him saying to you, “Remain in my love.”
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
John 15:8-13
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.