{"id":23482,"date":"2018-07-12T03:30:16","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T10:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=23482"},"modified":"2018-07-10T12:32:00","modified_gmt":"2018-07-10T19:32:00","slug":"july-12-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2018\/07\/12\/july-12-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"July 12, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cBy this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>1 John 3:16<\/p>\n

Love Songs<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I remember the 1967 song by the Beatles, \u201cLove Is All You Need.\u201d In those days, \u201cfree love\u201d was the mantra of the \u201cflower children\u201d who wore peasant-type skirts and shirts, put flowers in their long hair, and, eyes closed, swayed to music that moved them. They claimed the \u201cestablishment\u201d\u2014the repressive generation of adults (anyone older than themselves)\u2014had hopelessly missed the point of life, which was love.<\/p>\n

The women\u2019s \u201cliberation\u201d movement got into full swing during these same years. In fact, it exploded with deceptions about freedom and love. Bras were burned. Sex was noncommittal and undiscerning.<\/p>\n

Psychedelic patterns and hallucinogenic drugs were all the rage. Thankfully, I was a little young to get involved in this vast moral shift, though it still affected me. The closest I got to identifying with this hippie culture was putting those big flower stickers on my guitar and experiencing puppy love for long-haired boys, especially those with teen magazine fame.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In opposition to the song, I would argue that love is not all you need. On the other hand, without love, all that life is concerned with is meaningless. In spite of all the changes that the women\u2019s liberation movement brought about, along with the changes wrought by any other period of history, there is a truth that stands forever.<\/p>\n

When I became a Christian, I had to unlearn what had been presented as New Truth. There is no new truth. The source of true love is God, for \u201clove is of God\u201d\u00a0<\/em>(1 John 4:7). God showed us His love by sending Jesus: \u201cIn this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him\u201d\u00a0<\/em>(1 John 4:9). In response, we are to love others. \u201cFor this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another\u201d\u00a0<\/em>(1 John 3:11).<\/p>\n

In spite of the preaching of the flower children, love isn\u2019t free. Christ paid the price of blood sacrifice\u2014in torturous agony, separated from His Father\u2014to atone for our sins. We, then, are called to love one another unselfishly as Christ did. It cost Him His life, and it may cost us ours. Will love cost us our final breath? I do not know; but I know that it will cost us our selfishness, egos, time, and resources, and probably our comforts, reputations, and plans.\u201cDo not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world\u2014the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life\u2014is not of the Father but is of the world\u201d <\/em>(1 John 2:15-16).<\/p>\n

No, love is not free. But it is imperative. We used to sing a campfire song; perhaps you remember it:<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Love, love, love, love<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Christians, this is your call<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Love your neighbor as yourself<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0For God loves all<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Which song are you singing with your life?<\/p>\n

\u201cFather, thank You for deliverance from the deception of easy, free, so-called love. Let us learn what it means to love You and love others. Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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