Dr.David Jeremiah – Living A Life of Love

God Commands the Impossible: Cultivating Love in Our Lives

God commands the impossible and then gives us the ability to fulfill it through His love. So, how do we cultivate this love in our lives? How do we live out this command? As with all the character traits we’re exploring in this series, we are responsible for developing God’s gift of love. When we are saved, God pours His love into our hearts—this is a gift He gives us. But He doesn’t intend for that love to remain dormant; we must respond to it.

We are called to take this love to the next level, to recognize it as God’s gift and return it to Him. The apostle Paul summarizes this in 1 Corinthians 13, saying, “Now abides faith, hope, and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”

Country superstar Alan Jackson sings, “When somebody loves you, there’s nothing you can’t do,” and while that may not be entirely true, it’s certainly more uplifting than the old country classic about heartbreak. In my years of ministry, I’ve noticed that love often leads people to make foolish decisions. Love is one of the most written, talked about, and sung-about topics, and there’s a reason for that: the human heart longs for love. We need affection, reassurance, and fellowship. Love is the oxygen of the soul; it’s essential for life.

An infant’s first need after birth is to be held and loved by a parent, and love brings lifelong blessings. When we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, God’s love is poured into our hearts. The Bible tells us that this love grows within us, just as grapes grow on a vine. The fruit of the Spirit is love—and this love is not just a fleeting sensation. It’s practical, it’s action-oriented. It comforts the lonely, feeds the hungry, cares for the sick, and endures through challenges. It’s patient, kind, pure, and always positive. This love is foundational to a life that goes beyond what we can imagine.

Here’s the key: before Jesus came to earth, no one had experienced this kind of love. The world’s understanding of love was self-centered, seeking what could be gained from love. But when God sent His Son as a gift of love to the world, He demonstrated a love that was other-centered. This is the love known as Agape—a selfless, sacrificial love. In John 3:16, we read, “For God so Agaped the world…”

Now, here’s something that may surprise some of you: love is not optional. Love is a command. Throughout the New Testament, the command to love is clear. Many believers are surprised by this, having embraced the idea that love cannot be commanded—it’s something that happens to you, something you “fall into.” But the Bible tells us we are responsible for loving one another. Let’s look at these scriptures that highlight the command to love:

John 13:34: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
John 15:12: “This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.”
John 15:17: “These things I command you, that you love one another.”
1 John 3:23: “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He gave us commandment.”

So, the question we must answer is this: Is it possible for us to obey this commandment? Can we love one another as He has loved us? Based on the evidence we see today, many people have removed that responsibility, treating love as something optional, not a command to follow.

Conclusion: Love is not just a feeling—it’s a command we are called to live out in our daily lives. As we cultivate God’s love within us, we are empowered to share it with others and reflect His love in everything we do.