"Branded by Agape"

We marked all of those cattle,

With the running MC brand,

Because it showed our ownership,

When they were turned out ‘cross the land.

And we are branded too it seems,

By the One who by His blood,

Bought us for Himself to save,

And with His love to flood.

All those golden, joyful days,

Shared with people whom we love,

And now we know that all were sent,

By our Father from above.

To show us every perfect gift,

Is one He gladly gives,

We are the apple of His eye,

Why Jesus died and lives.

If we could only fathom,

How much and oh so real,

Divine affection freely flows,

And in a small way feel,

That branded by agape,

We have no choice to show,

What we’ve received so freely,

So everyone can know,

What’s far beyond magnificent,

Brings healing with its touch,

And fills us with thanksgiving,

He loves us all that much.

We sing it and we shout it,

We show it when we can,

There is no doubt about it,

It’s all in God’s great plan.

And someday when God’s heaven,

Has dawned eternal day,

We’ll reminisce about the times,

We heard the Good Lord say,

I love you, oh, I love you,

My child, my spouse, my friend,

And welcome to all I’ve prepared,

Where joy will never end.

“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16, NLT)

Real love can only be measured in light of the love God gave us through Jesus Christ. We cannot find it in this world’s relationships which only offer a sad imitation. When we experience God’s love we suddenly realize we’ve received the real thing, and you cannot un-know it. Agape is unselfish, giving, and quite unconditional in the sense that it does not require reciprocation to authenticate it. We cannot earn it nor can we diminish it. it is given because of the goodness of the Giver, and then passed along because it is simply too wonderful to hoard. By its very nature it must be shared, and will be by all those who are genuinely touched by it. Giving up our lives for others is the result over time. So be it, in Jesus’ name.

Lord, help us to share and show Your love, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.