“Truly he taught us to love one another.
His law is love and his gospel is peace.
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we.
Let all within us praise his holy name.
Christ is the Lord. O praise his name forever.”

John 15:12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Jesus is love personified, and His love came down and touched our world in a unique way on that very first Christmas.  Jesus was given by the Father out of love for our broken world.  The whole message of Christmas is love.  And when Christ comes to dwell in us, His love is manifested in us, too.

Love is a gift we can give, and we can do that in many ways.  Mostly it involves being like Jesus and following His example, abiding by His Word, and letting His Spirit have control.  That is the fulfillment, really, of that greatest commandment to love God with all of our hearts and minds and souls and then to love our neighbors as ourselves.  That is how we do all that God wants us to do and how we can be all He wants us to be.

Let’s not be stingy with such a thing as love.  It is something that seems to be lacking so often in our world.  It’s what we all crave for.  So as the love of God comes down to us, let us spread that love outward to those around us.  Let us demonstrate that love by the things we do and the things we say, the way we treat other people.  Love is what set us free from all of our chains.  It is what brings healing to our lives.  It is what Jesus showed to us so clearly in everything that He did.  So may we live our lives exemplifying the love of Christ and sharing it with those around us.