For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
“Rather than becoming like the world in its opposition to God, believers are called to imitate God’s love for the rebellious world, a love that seeks to draw people back to a loving communion with the Creator. Thus, in 1 John 2:15 we are told not to love the world, but John goes on to explain this “love” is characterized by a selfish desire for “the things in the world,” such as “pride in possessions” (1 John 2:15-16). And that means it is a twisted love, focused on self rather than the other. But this is not how God loves the world in John 3:16, where God gives. The kind of love that must be rejected is the exact opposite of God’s love for the world: God’s love gives, worldly love takes.”
Kelly Kapic in God So Loved, He Gave: Entering the Movement of Divine Generosity (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010) 68. This book is one of the better “theology” books on generosity and required reading for my D.Min. students at Trinity. I re-read an excerpt of it this morning while meditating on God’s great gift to the world: love.
What about the love you and I exhibit in our lives? Do we “draw people back to a loving communion with the Creator” or do we have a “selfish desire” for stuff in this world? Do we give or take?
“God’s love gives, worldly love takes.”