You and I have a mission in this life: to share the love of God to a world who is desperately far from Him. We are on a love mission.

But before He sent out His disciples into the world to share the love of God, Jesus asked them to wait. What were they waiting for? Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit, who would empower their mission to the world.

We don’t love simply because we’re nice people, packing warm fuzzy feelings and plastering platitudes and bumper stickers all around town. We love with a Holy Spirit EMPOWERED love. An engine driven first because of God’s love for US.

God’s love propels us into action, inspiring us to meet the needs of others and proclaim His truth. As we embrace His love and share it with those around us, His kingdom expands and lives are transformed. That’s what it means to be a vessel of Christ’s love, committed to fulfilling His mission of reconciliation and redemption. We’ve received a deposit from God—a holy investment of the most precious commodity. And it is from this well that springs our love for others.

Like any engine, it pays to look under the hood every once in a while. Take inventory of the health of your engine. Is it running on the fuel of God’s love for you? Because the engine of our mission can only flourish under the proper power.