The Measure of Love

True love nurtures growth. It doesn’t simply accept someone as they are and leave them there. It patiently encourages what’s good, gently corrects what’s harmful, extends grace when grace is needed, and quietly draws out the very best in the one it loves.

When I stop and think about it, isn’t that exactly how Christ loves us?

He found us broken by sin, yet He refused to leave us that way. Day by day He works to restore what sin has damaged. He convicts, but never to shame us. He disciplines, but always in love. He forgives, strengthens, comforts, and patiently teaches us to walk in His ways. As Paul reminds us, God is working in us “both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Christ isn’t just trying to make us better versions of ourselves; He’s restoring His own image within us.

What astonishing love.

The more I meditate on the way Christ loves me, the more uncomfortable another thought becomes.

What does my love look like?

Not just my love for other people, but my love for Christ Himself.

Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Those words were never meant to be a burden but an invitation. Obedience is simply love taking visible form. Love naturally desires to please the One it loves.

Yet if I’m honest, my love often pales in comparison to His.

His love is patient when mine grows impatient. His love continues to pursue when mine is ready to withdraw. He bears with my weaknesses far longer than I bear with the weaknesses of others. He forgives before I even ask, while I sometimes struggle to forgive those who have hurt me. He delights in spending time with me, while I too often allow the demands of life to crowd out time in His presence.

When I look at Calvary, I realize that I have never loved anyone the way Christ has loved me.

“The Son of God… loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

He didn’t just say He loved me.

He proved it.

John wrote, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Left to ourselves, we simply don’t know how to love as heaven loves. Every genuine act of patience, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, and self-sacrifice is evidence that Christ is reproducing His own character within us. The closer we abide in Him, the more His love begins to flow through us to others.

The more clearly we see the measure of Christ’s love, the more we realize how small our own love really is. Yet that realization should never discourage us. Instead, it should draw us nearer to the only One who can teach us to love as He loves.

After all, love isn’t something we manufacture. It’s something we receive from Christ and then reflect back to Him and to the world around us. As we continue to abide in Him, His promise remains: “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5).

That’s the kind of love our hearts long for.

And that’s the kind of love only Christ can create.

If this Fireside Chat warmed your spirit and sparked fresh resolve to live what you believe, fan that flame with Scripture—“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). Pull a little closer to the Light, and carry it into the week ahead.

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