As we are told in I Timothy 1:5, "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." We have discussed our need for power to be witnesses of the God who is all-powerful. We must also understand that God is love and we cannot be His witnesses without love. Our primary goals in life should be the fruit of the Spirit and power. The power of God is the demonstration of His love.

 

The Lord did not heal people to reveal His power, but to demonstrate the power of His love for them. If He had wanted to demonstrate His power He could have done much greater things, like moving mountains, or parting seas like Moses. He could have stopped the sun like Joshua, or even written His name across the sky with stars. He used His power for the sake of love. He healed people because He loved them, and He did not want them to be sick. He healed because healing, redemption, and restoration is His nature, because love is His nature.

 

As we have discussed, we are the Lord's body on the earth. He wants to do His works through His people. He does not just want to use us as He might an inanimate object, but He wants us to be in unity with Him. He wants us to have both His mind and His heart. He wants us to feel what He feels for people. Like John G. Lake, it is wisdom for us to seek to feel what He feels for people when we pray for them.

 

The Lord did some of His greatest miracles, like walking on the water, before only a handful of people. He could have preached His sermons standing on a lake, but He didn't. When He performed miracles it was not for the purpose of getting people's attention. He did it out of obedience to the Father. Over and over we read that He was moved by compassion because that is what the Father was feeling. We too must learn to be moved by what moves God. There is something in us that will want to do the greatest miracles in front of the most people, but when we are mature, just watching the Lord help others will be our reward.

 

Some of the greatest demonstrations of power are not found in merely healing people, but in keeping them well. Certainly this does not give as much of a "witness" to His power, but it is just as much a demonstration of His power, and maybe an even greater demonstration of His love. The protection of God is no less a miracle. Let us see and acknowledge His works in all things, knowing that "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow" (James 1:17).

 

It seems that a new wave of power is now being released through the church. Spectacular miracles are taking place. This will increase in waves until His people are walking in all of the works that He did, and even greater works, just as He promised. However, let us settle in our hearts now that we are going to pursue love. As we are told in I Corinthians 13, we can have the faith to move mountains, have the greatest gifts of prophecy, and even die martyrs, but if we do not have love it will not count!

 

God is all-powerful, but He is also love. As we see His power growing in His church let us also be sure that our love is growing. It is not an either/or situation. We are encouraged to earnestly desire spiritual gifts as well as to pursue love. We must do both. We pursue His gifts in order to demonstrate His love. The power of love is the greatest power of all.

 

Previously we discussed how we are called to sow peace everywhere we go. We should be building impregnable fortresses of the peace of God in our homes, jobs, places where we shop, and so on. By doing this we are extending the kingdom of God. Now let us join this with the love of God. Peace is not being moved by fear or agitations—love is being moved by compassion. Peace builds a foundation for the work of God, but love does the work.