07 Jan Let the Agape Love Overflow

We are living in a world created by God, and the Bible states that God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Gen 1:27).

And Paul reminds us that God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God (Rom 5:8-9).

This is the reality that there is no distinction:  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith (Rom 3:22-25).

As we live in a world where the phrase “love is love” is widely used in campaigns for marriage, equality, accepting different adjectives for describing a person; the Agape Love of God remains the same. Each one of us who experience this Agape love, must be able to share it with others.

As we try to serve the society at large; we can use the following tips from Paul’s teaching in 2 Cor 5 as our fundamental guideline to effectively share the gospel.

• Love of Christ should compel us to share the good news.

The love of Christ compels or urges us, because we are convinced of this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who died and was raised for their sake.

As Ambassadors of Christ, share the message of reconciliation with Christ.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation [of the restoration to favour].

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins (I Pet 4:8).

Anitha Wesley is a graduate working in the field of medical research. She currently resides in East Tambaram, Chennai with her husband John Wesley, UESI-TN Staff, and daughters Abigail Johanna and Annshel Jochebed.