To love is to give

Wednesday 9 June 2021

To love is to give

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

To love and to give, these two verbs abound in the Gospel according to John : the gifts of God show the love of God in action.

God the Father loves God the Son eternally : The Father loves the Son, and has put everything (lit. given) into his hands (3. 35 ; comp. 13. 3). He gave him the Spirit without measure (3.34), the power to impart life (5.26), judgment (5.22, 27), authority over all flesh (17. 2).

God loves men and gave them his Son : God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (3.16). Jesus is the gift of God (4:10), the bread given from heaven (6:32).

God gives to his Son the men to whom he has shown his love through him : I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world ; they were yours, and you gave them to me (17. 6).

To those given to him by his Father, the Lord Jesus gives eternal life (10. 28), his own peace (14. 27) ; he even goes so far as to give them his own glory (17. 22) !

What reciprocal gifts ! God gave us Jesus, gives us to Jesus, Jesus gives us... These reciprocal gifts show the love of God. They instill recognition and adoration in our hearts. They also produce a deep desire for imitation : As I have loved you, so do you love one another (13. 34).

“Lord, make us love like you”, we sometimes ask. So let's give ! Let us give ourselves to God first (2 Corinthians 8: 5) and then give ourselves to others with dedication (1 John 3: 16-17). We will discover that this divine nature, in which we participate and which shows itself through all these gifts, loves to give.

Source (Pleasing the Lord)