Love Worth Singing About
“This is real
love. It is not that we loved God, but
that He loved us…” (1 John
5:10)
Advertising jingle
writers are good. Real good. They have a way of putting together a melody
so that it stick in your head like peanut butter to the roof of your
mouth. Whether it is Barry Manilow’s
famous “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there” or being “Zestfully Clean,”
they are forever imprinted in my mind.
I’m not sure if I was
five, six, or seven years old when I first heard it, but it doesn’t matter. Once you’ve heard it, you never forget
it: “Oh, I wish I was an Oscar Mayer
wiener, that is what I’d truly like to be.
‘Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener, everyone would be in love with
me.” You would need to search far and
wide to find an American of generations past who couldn’t sing that song on
cue. To add to it, you would sometimes
spot “Wiener-mobiles” winding through the streets of Southern
California.
In my mind, the
people who wrote the wiener song not only knew good advertising…they knew
something about human nature. Who
hasn’t asked this question as a child or even as an adult: “What can I do so people will love me?” “If I was more like that, maybe then he or
she would love me.” If I got to that
club or dress like that celebrity, then people might love me.” Maybe if I relax my convictions a little bit,
she’d love me then.” Sally Fields gave
one of the most famous Oscar (not wiener but trophy) speeches when she cried
out upon being voted best actor, “You love me…you really do love me.” How can a grown up, successful actor have
those words been forever lodged in ceremony lore? It’s because at the core, we all desire it.
In their quest to be
loved, the people of this world look in
some strange places and do even stranger things. It’s a testimony to two things: 1) that God created the human heart to be loved;
and 2) that love is a scarce commodity in this increasingly self-centered
world.
But thankfully, our
Heavenly Father knows this. And
that’s why He works overtime to fill our hearts with his perfect, unceasing
love. God’s Word says that He longs to
pour His love into the heart of every man, woman, and child, who will let Him.
Yes, the love of God
is known by faith, but it is also something you feel. You can literally feel the love of God. but it isn’t your emotions, it is the work of
God’s Spirit within you. Romans 8:15,16
says, “For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we
are God’s children.” (NLT) And you don’t
have to convince God you deserve His love.
He already decided to love you.
The perfect love of
God casts out all fear. Fear of loneliness, fear of rejection, fear
of failure, and fear of being a person no one could love. His love shifts the focus from “What can I do
so that people love me?” to “What can I
do to share Christ’s love with others?”
Because He loves me, I know I’m lovable.
Because He loves me, I can love others.
“This is real love. It is not
that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much,
we surely ought to love each other.” 1 John 5:10-11
(NLT)
With a God like that…everyone should be in love with Him.
Terry Risser
Reflections
1) Do you identify with that
need to be loved?
2) How does God’s love change
us?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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