According to Scripture, the essence of Christianity can be expressed in a four-letter word.

Someone may suggest the word “fear.” Proverbs 1:7 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But fear is an inadequate motivation for the Christian faith and life. Fear may produce a sense of duty; worse, it leads to legalism.

What about “hope?” Both Paul (Colossians 1:27) and Peter (1 Peter 1:3) point out that hope is the result of God’s work in Christ. And hope distinguishes Christianity from other major world religions. 

But the word that expresses the essence of Christianity is “LOVE.” While in English “love” has come to mean anything from simple preference (I love Coke) to the true devotion and commitment of a lasting marriage, the Greek language uses four different words which express multiple aspects of this one English word. One of those is unique to the New Testament and is used in 1 John 4:8, 10 where John states that God is love.

That word is used in the familiar verse, John 3:16:  For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The love that is of the very essence of the God of the Bible is a self-giving, self-sacrificing love rather than a self-seeking love. 

That same term is also used in other scriptures. For instance, when asked, “What is the greatest commandment,” Christ responded:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34-40).

Therefore the Apostle Paul says:  Let love guide your life…(Colossians 3:14 LB). Let the same kind of love that is characteristic of God Himself guide your life! 

That’s a simple but powerful statement—one that has some radical implications. In the previous verses, Paul says that this kind of love will motivate one to get rid of all that is inconsistent with Christ-likeness. On the other hand, that love will motivate one to put on those attitudes that really reflect one’s love for God and others. (See Colossians 3:1-14.) The result of doing that, Paul says, will be harmony with those around us. 

So let love guide your life! Let the love that is characteristic of God Himself guide your life. Impossible? No! For scripture says that God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us (Romans 5:5). The same love that sent Christ to die for our sins is the love with which God fills our hearts. 

So let that love guide your life! Let it motivate you to take a hard look at yourself and the way you interact with those around you. Let it motivate you to make positive changes by the grace of God so that others will see the love of God at work in and through your life. The result will be greater harmony with those around you, whether at home, work, school or church.

Let love guide your life and then the whole church (family of God) will stay together in perfect harmony.  Colossians 3:14 LB