In my last blog I introduced you to one of my mugs.

I shared with you some of my memories and thoughts concerning this mug and the phrase, “I need your love”. In that posting I stressed that the love we really need is God’s love. Because His love is sacrificial, sustaining and Supreme, it will help us in our most difficult times. But there is more to say about our need for love.

We were made for fellowship. It is an important and needful part of life. When we discuss the purpose of our lives, we usually mention the aspect of worship, giving God glory, and doing His will. But if you read the first few chapters in Genesis, it is quite clear that we were also made for fellowship. God desired fellowship with the creation He had made. He came down to walk with them in the Garden of Eden. We also know that when sin entered the picture that kind of fellowship with God was broken. And so begins the whole Gospel story and the demonstration of God’s great love for us. But a closer look at the Genesis account of creation reveals that we were also made for fellowship with each other.

God was pleased with His creation. Several times Genesis tells us that God saw what He had made was good and at one point declares it was very good! However, there was one thing that God decided was not good. He emphatically declared that it was not good for man to be alone. We need other people. We need each other!

We were also made with the capacity to give and to receive love. Love is an integral part of fellowship. If we do not love one another, any relationship we have with others is shallow and lacking. Love is required by God and commanded by Christ. Not only are we told to love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our soul and all our mind, but we are also enjoined to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves! And then Jesus says this: This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. -John 15:12

1 Corinthians 13 is a familiar portion of Scripture. It’s called the love chapter. It is recited at weddings, memorized by children, quoted in books, and referred to in movies. It’s a beautiful and true description of what perfect love is.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails… 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)

But it is the Epistle of 1 John that gets to the nitty gritty of the matter. He explains what it means to love as Christ loved us. Loving one another is more than sentiment; it produces action. It’s not just caring about people; it’s caring for people. There is a difference. It is God’s love for us that makes that kind of love possible.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother or sister has need, and has no pity on them how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. –1 John 3:16-18 (NIV) Dear friends, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. –1 John 4:11 (NIV) We love because he first loved us…And he has given us this command: anyone who loves God must also love his brother and sister. –1 John 4:19,21 (NIV)

Recently a friend posted this on Facebook:

“The love that we express to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ will be the evidence to the world that God is real. We as Christians already know God is real by the faith that we have. The love that we show each other will strengthen our bond in the faith and encourage more people to come to God.”

I know I definitely need God’s love! But I need your love too. And you need mine! We need each other.