Overflow

What Does agape mean for us today? If you know the English meaning of the word, you'll see it isn't about love. Agape means that your jaw is hanging open, you are literally gaping. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Agape this way: "Having the mouth open because of wonder, surprise, or shock."

But the Greek word agape doesn't carry that meaning. Instead, agape means love, the highest and greatest of all love. It is always seeking to give, to pour out, to assist and bless others. Agape seeks to benefit others at all times, without reward or recognition. Agape love possesses no agenda; it anticipates no response in kind; it roots itself in pure and unremitting sacrifice. It is established in giving to others, in benefitting others, and in longing to provide for others.

This love is active, not passive. It requires action, not emotions or warm feelings. It is a choice. Psalm twenty-three speaks of a cup so full that it overflows. I drink my water from a stainless steel bottle, and I fill it from our water dispenser. The dispenser is in a dark area and I can't always see how full my bottle is. So, I regularly overfill it. Then, I ease it away and immediately drink some so nothing is wasted. I try to avoid doing this, because it's wasteful. So, why does God overflow our cups?

God never wastes anything. When our cups overflow, we learn just how much we can receive from God. We learn how He gives to us more than we can imagine or comprehend. We learn that no matter how much we grow, and how much our cup expands to fill us up, God always has a plenitude to offer. Our cup can always run over, for He is never going to stop giving all He can. This is the image of agape love. Selflessly, tirelessly, and unceasingly, God exerts Himself to fill us up. And He always will, because He is love.