LOVE—THE LIFE AND MOTIVE POWER OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
By Matthew Larson
BY ELDER MATTHEW LARSON.
(Concluded.) But how can we become partakers of this divine gift, this divine nature? "Ask, and ye shall receive," "Ask, and it shall be given you" (John 16: 24; Luke 11: 9-13), is the Saviour's command and promise. "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace." John 1: 12, 16. But what is this power? It is not faith, for it is something that we receive by faith. We obtain it by believing on His name. In Luke 24: 49 we learn that Christ told his disciples to tarry at Jerusalem until he should send "the promise" of the Father upon them, and they should be "endued with power from on high." This referred to the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. "But ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. . . . But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." Acts 1: 5-8. Then this power emanates from, or is begotten in, us by the Holy Ghost. It is the bestowment of the Holy Ghost, and this promise, we learn, is extended to every child of God—all, "even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts 2: 38, 39. One of its attributes is love. 2 Tim. 1: 7. "Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Rom. 5: 5. It is this that puts life in our faith; it is this that makes our faith active and productive of good fruit. And this is the kind of faith we want,—a living, active faith, a "faith which worketh by love." Gal. 5: 6. "If ye love Me, keep my commandments." "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me. . . . If a man love Me, he will keep My words." John 14: 15, 21-24. For "love is the fulfilling of the law" (Rom. 13: 10), is the keeping of "His commandments" (1 John 5: 2, 3; 2 John 6). And "if ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love." John 15: 10. "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love." Heb. 6: 10. But "faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being by itself" (margin). James 2: 17. Love, then, we have found is the vital force or power of faith, and hence that which causes it to bring forth, or to produce works. Love, perfect love, is one of the most powerful agencies, or magnets, in the universe. It draws, it subdues, it pleads, it entreats, it persuades, it compels, it conquers, it comforts, it pardons, it saves, it strengthens, it heals, it endures all things, hopeth all things, is gentle and easy to be entreated; it "passeth knowledge," says Paul. Eph. 3: 19. It was love that brought Christ from the throne of God in heaven to this sin-stained, sin-cursed earth, to toil, to suffer, and to die, for our salvation. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3: 16. And if that love dwells in us, it will be sufficient to bring us from earth to heaven. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." John 12: 32. Love knows no defeat; it will conquer, it will remain firm even in the face of death. "For love is strong as death." Songs 8: 6. Hence Christ's prayer, "That the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them." John 17: 26. As the noble ship, when the steam is turned on, forces its way through the waters; or as the electric car, when connected with its motive power, the electricity, moves off, carrying its burden with perfect ease, so the Christian, when filled with the love of Christ, moves onward in the line of duty. His faith, animated and kindled with that divine grace, will find the trials vanish, the difficulties surmounted, the yoke become easy, and the burdens light, and labor for Christ will then become a pleasure. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be310able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God, according to the power that worketh in us." Eph. 3: 14-20. If the love of Christ dwells in us, we shall then find enjoyment in his service—in laboring for him, and for the salvation of those whom he came to redeem. This will be our meat and our drink, "because as he is, so are we in this world." And Christ says, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work." That which we most enjoy in this world, that which affords us the greatest pleasure, is the very thing which we will be very apt to engage in and talk about the most. And that which we love the most is the very thing from which we will obtain the greatest pleasures, or enjoyment. In fact, our pleasure or enjoyment is simply a result, or an index, of our love. We enjoy the company of our friends only because we love them. The company of those whom we do not love would afford us no pleasure. The things we hate, or dislike, we will avoid. If we love God, we will love the things of God, and hence will take pleasure in them; we will enjoy engaging in them, and talking about them. "Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." Col. 1: 29. "Being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness." Col. 1: 10, 11.