Jason Silver

Friday, July 27th, 2018

Selfish Love

Most of us know instinctively, that if we love someone for what they can do for us, it's not really love. It's more of a self-centered neediness, really; a selfish “love.” In First Corinthians, Paul tells us that love is not selfish.

But the writer of Psalm 116 seems to have missed that bulletin. He says he loves the Lord, because the Lord has heard him, and has heard his “supplications,” his “cry for mercy” as some translations put it.

That got me thinking a bit about the nature of our relationship with God, (or with anyone else for that matter). Who among us can really say we love unselfishly? I guess I have to admit that although I aspire to that, I'm not very good at it.

Other scripture says we love, because he first loved us. I think that's the truth of the matter, really. In our frail, less-than-perfect state, we love mostly as a response.

So how important, then, must it be for us to share God's love with the world. We have to really take it seriously.

If the world is to love God, then they have to know that God loves them, first. We have to make every effort to model God's love. We've got to show the world not the angry, judgemental, and stingy stereotype Christians are reputed to have, but the reckless love that Jesus showed. We've got to be willing to give the shirts off our backs! We've got to go the extra mile! We need to let those without sin throw the first stone (in other words, no one!) We've got to be willing to put the weak first and the rich last! We need to be ready to give our very lives for love!

Who's with me? Who's ready to join God in reckless love?