The love of Jesus Christ is a profound and transformative force that compels and constrains those who embrace it. His love is not merely a legal obligation but a tender, timeless affection that draws us into His bosom, cherishing us even while we were yet sinners. This love, as a foundation of our relationship with Him, offers eternal security, holding us in His hand where no one can snatch us away, though we can choose to walk away by not responding to His embrace. Jesus Christ, as the Head of the church, embodies this love that should guide us to repent and remain where we are, rather than seeking solutions by moving from group to group. His love, which changed Paul's perspective and life, urges us to live not for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again, transforming our carnal views into spiritual understanding. Participation in His life is the source of all good, and abiding in His love is the means to experience this goodness, fostering a relationship of mutual affection and submission. His love calls us to follow Him as sheep follow their shepherd, with a docile and submissive attitude, not resisting or acting adversarially. This love, expressed through commandment-keeping, is not just a duty but a heartfelt response of gratitude for His embrace and the truth He imparts. The ultimate goal is to strive toward the pinnacle of love He exemplified, always doing what pleases the Father, and to focus on this most important relationship rather than seeking external solutions for internal unrest. When we fail to prioritize this relationship with Jesus Christ, we risk smiting His body, the church, by criticizing or abandoning fellow brethren. Such actions are akin to smiting Him, as we are part of His body and a holy temple. The true solution lies in strengthening our bond with Him, recognizing that His love provides the stability and joy we seek, regardless of external circumstances or imperfections within any congregation.

The love of Jesus Christ stands as the foundation of glory and excellence, especially evident during the Feast of Trumpets, a day both solemn and joyous. On one hand, this day pictures terrifying world events and warfare threatening the extinction of all life, yet the loving Christ intervenes to prevent annihilation and ongoing suffering caused by satan's influence and human sins. On the other hand, it heralds great rejoicing for the faithful firstfruits who have answered God's calling and submitted to His government, as the loving Christ begins to establish and reward them as kings and priests in the Kingdom of God. The love of Christ is vast and immeasurable, described by the Apostle Paul in terms of width, length, depth, and height, akin to the dimensions of a great temple. The width of His love reaches the whole world, embracing all nations and breaking distinctions of race or ethnicity, offering divine mercy to sinners far from God. The length of His love stretches from eternity to eternity, unchanging and unbroken, a constant line that never despairs of us, patiently bearing with our follies as illustrated in the parable of the prodigal son. The depth of His love descends to rescue us from sin's degradation and satan's grip, seen in what He did by humbling Himself from divine glory to human form, and in what He suffered through hatred, mockery, and agony on the cross for our sake. The height of His love elevates us to heavenly places, making us heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, uniting us with Him to share in His eternal glory. This love of Christ surpasses human knowledge, yet Paul prays that we may comprehend its vastness and lay hold of it, to live in its four dimensions and be filled with the fullness of God. It is a love that casts out fear of judgment, delivering the mind from anxiety when fully embraced. Despite its immeasurable nature, it is our responsibility to learn as much as we can about it, to meditate on it, and to rejoice in its eternal and transformative power.

The love of God is the true essence of what the world desperately needs, a love that brings peace, harmony, joy, happiness, fulfillment, purpose, and brotherly affection to all mankind. This love, defined as agape, reflects God's willful direction toward humanity, always seeking what is best for us, even when it differs from our desires. As John 3:16 reveals, God so loved the world that He gave His Son as a sacrifice, not to fulfill human wants, but to meet our deepest need for justification and reconciliation with Him upon repentance. God's love is characterized by benevolence, a disposition to do good, marked by kindness, sympathy, and generosity in individual dealings, while His overarching plan is philanthropic on the grandest scale, aiming to elevate mankind into the Kingdom of God. This love originates from God Himself, reflecting His Spirit in us, and as we exhibit it, we take on the nature of our Father. Those who reflect this love show they are born of Him, while those who do not, regardless of their knowledge, fail to truly know God. The proof of God's love is evident in the world He has provided, where rain falls on the just and unjust alike, in His patience toward us, and most profoundly, in sending His Son as a sacrifice to reconcile us to Him. Even when we were ignorant of His ways and opposed to Him, He loved us and desired the best for us. As I John 3:16 states, we perceive God's love because He laid down His life for us, and in like manner, we are called to lay down our lives for the brethren, perfecting His love in us through active application toward others. Jesus taught in John 13:35 that love for one another identifies His disciples, serving as a sign of belonging to God, just as keeping the Sabbath does. Perfect love casts out fear, and as we grow in it, we take on His nature, gaining boldness to stand before Him. We love Him because He first loved us, and this love is not ours but God's love working through us, urging us to love our fellow man as the Father and Son love us. The greatest commandment, as Jesus declared, is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, submitting every faculty to His will and devoting ourselves to glorify Him by being like Him in all we do. The first four commandments show direct love to God, requiring us to honor Him above all else, rid ourselves of idols, represent His name with honor in every aspect of life, and keep the Sabbath as holy time to rest, study, and encourage one another. The second great commandment, to love our neighbor as ourselves, extends this love to all around us—family, friends, countrymen, and even enemies—by seeking their good, refraining from harm, and showing kindness, even when their actions do not warrant it. True love of God produces a desire to live His way, embracing His commandments not as burdens but as essential boundaries that train us to become like Him. Obedience to His Word, as John states, perfects His love in us, establishing an intimate relationship with Jesus and the Father, leading toward becoming members of the God Family. If true love exists in the heart, it will be reflected in our way of living, demonstrating that we belong to Him through our outgoing concern for others. Above all, we are to put on godly love, forgiving as we have been forgiven by Christ, uniting all aspects of God's calling and opening His mind for us to emulate.

Contrasting the idioms "glass half full" connoting optimism, with "glass half empty" connoting pessimism, these metaphors reveal the concept that "fullness" is an ideal state of abundance and satisfaction, while the fullness of evil leads to destruction and divine judgment, describing the horrendous Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-22) caused by humanity's sin, culminating in devastating cosmic disturbances (Revelation 16:12-17), and the "Day of the Lord" ushering in Christ's intervention to save humanity from annihilating itself and establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. In Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul prays that God's people comprehend the vast dimensions of Christ's love, its width, length, depth, and height. Its width encompasses all nations and peoples, its length, eternal, from eternity past to future, its depth rescuing sinners from degradation, and its height elevating believers to divine glory as heirs of God. The love of Christ is changeless, endless, and transforming, casting out all fear and filling His disciples with God's love. Let us meditate on this love which will empower us to overcome, living as a part of God's eternal plan, and culminating in a glorious, perfected church.