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Love: Demanding Or Sacrificial?
by Olawale Ogunsola Love is a word that is freely used by people irrespective of their ages. This four-letter word is one of the most wrongly defined and misused. You can google my article titled love look-alikes. " for more on this. This write up is meant to analyze the word,"Love" using a family from the Scriptures as our guide. Love brought division into a family of a prominent character in the Holy Bible. This covenant - sustainer, Isaac had two male children from his wife Rebecca on the same day. These twin-brothers found favor from different parents. Isaac, their,father loved the older child, Esau, while Rebecca loved Jacob. Amos 3:3 has this to say and it is true in the case of Isaac and his son, Esau. It reads: "Can two walk together, unless they agreed? The point of agreement for Isaac and Esau was "food". When Isaac was preparing to bid this world "goodbye", he demanded from his son "a savory food" before he could release a "bumb" of blessings ready to explode. What he ought to release unconditionally was with-held until he has finished eating what he demanded. What was the outcome? The secret was leaked and the blessings were hijacked by the "enemy" of the beloved son. A conditional love is not a safe one and those who are "in-love" because of something ephemeral are at great risks. Isaac got a rude shock when Esau later came for the blessing which had been "stolen" by Jacob. Both lovers Isaac and Esau suffered loses, most especially emotional. On the other hand, the love between Rebecca and Jacob was different. It was an unconditional one. No attachment but fulfillment of the latter's destiny. What do I mean? During pregnancy when the children were struggling and their mother suffered some serious discomfort, she enquired from the Lord about what was happening to her. The reply she got was, "Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated From your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the Younger." Gen 27:23NKJV. This great revelation was hidden in Rebecca's heart and her sole concern was how that prophecy will come to pass. So, she spent all her lifetime to love and support Jacob who was to be served. She engaged everything at her disposal as a woman including deceit. When she devised how to usurp Esau's blessings, Jacob was aware of the danger that may surface, which was, "identification" . His father may realise that it was Jacob who was a plain-bodied man and not a hairy man, sau. What was Rebecca's response to Jacob's fear of a curse from his father, if identified? "Let your curse be on me, my son, only obey my voice..." Genesis 27:13 NKJV. No condition was attached to display Rebecca's love for Jacob. She did all within her means to ensure that Jacob's "vision" was fulfilled. This is a Godly love! Note these two verses from the Holy Bible, "For God so loved the world (in a bad form) that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him (no matter how corrupt) should not perish but have Everlasting life. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. "John 3:16, Rom 5:8. If God loved and gave His only begotten Son for an imperfect world and the Son died for people full of wrongdoing, what do you have to offer your loved ones? Does,"if,.." saturate your display of love to your loved one? "I will do this if he/she does that ". Is that your daily language? Do you love your loved one conditionally or unconditionally? Are you demanding on your loved one or ready to offer sacrificially to demonstrate your love? Remember, if you love conditionally you are at risk of losses, emotionally, financially or otherwise. Love with the love of the Lord. Stay blessed and rapturable because the Lord is coming soon. The Author is the set man of CTFM(WORLD OUTREACH)and Presiding Pastor of Christ Restland Gospel Church.He is a Poet and author of many books. Visit his blogsites www.4thlink.wordpress.com and www.peacelink.wordpress.com for more quality contents. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |