--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is essential to love that it be, not a…" description: "\"“It is essential to love that it be, not a focus of two persons on each other, but of two persons on the same thing external to them both. Although it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/joseph-m-spencer-174492_change-the-world_it-is-essential-to-love-that-it-be-not-a_691871.jpg" --- # It is essential to love that it be, not a focus of two… ![“It is essential to love that it be, not a focus of two persons on each other, but of two persons on the same thing external to them both. Although it has always been on offer, God's love cannot really be experienced unless or until one works side by side with him at transforming the world--unless…” quote by Joseph M. Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/joseph-m-spencer-174492_change-the-world_it-is-essential-to-love-that-it-be-not-a_691871.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/joseph-m-spencer-174492_change-the-world_it-is-essential-to-love-that-it-be-not-a_691871.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/joseph-m-spencer-174492_change-the-world_it-is-essential-to-love-that-it-be-not-a_691871.jpg) > ““It is essential to love that it be, not a focus of two persons on each other, but of two persons on the same thing external to them both. Although it has always been on offer, God's love cannot really be experienced unless or until one works side by side with him at transforming the world--unless or until one has confronted real affliction with him ("suffer\[ed\] with him,' Paul says in Romans 8:17) while tackling the task of remodeling the world (in what Paul calls, again in Romans 8:17, being "joint-heirs with Christ"). Love, in other words, has to be understood as more than a mere emotion; it is a way of being together in the world or, better, a way of working together to change the world. What begins as a kind of instrumentality--I hope only to be a tool in God's hands--eventually becomes a very real partnership, ideally bound by covenant.”” Joseph M. Spencer ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True love is a shared mission beyond romance, working together to transform the world. **In simple terms:** Love is partnership for world change. Key Takeaway Partner in purpose. Themes love partnership purpose Mood theological inspirational Type Change the world:1 Christ love:0 God love:0 Hope:0 Love:1 Partnership:1 Side by side:0 Working together:0 God'S Love:0 Real Partner:0 Love Focus:0 Essential Love:0 Romans 17:0 When to use this quote - faith communities - mission work - social movements Key Concepts spiritual collaboration social activism Questions to Reflect On - How can love inspire societal change? - What does partnership look like in practice? A Different Perspective Balancing personal and collective goals is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) [Christ love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ-love/) [God'S Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-s-love/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Partnership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partnership/) [Real Partner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-partner/) [Side by side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/side-by-side/) [Working together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-together/) ## Related quotes > [“Those in a covenant community of God’s love do not merely absorb Christ’s love individually, their changed lives also reflect his love corporately. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-chapell/those-in-a-covenant-community-of-god-s-love-do-not-merely-absorb/) [Bryan Chapell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-chapell/) > [In these gaudy times, we think we will shortly reach the point where everything is known, but the fact is we are ignoring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rouault/in-these-gaudy-times-we-think-we-will-shortly-reach-the-point-where/) [Georges Rouault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rouault/) > [I think just the opposite is true: love is an ideology for eternal militants, and the more misfortunes life tries to burden us with,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-think-just-the-opposite-is-true-love-is-an-ideology-for-eternal/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Why should it be essential to love rarely in order to love much?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/why-should-it-be-essential-to-love-rarely-in-order-to-love-much/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Remaining open to the powers of conversation—to new evidence and better arguments—is not only essential for rationality. It is essential for love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/remaining-open-to-the-powers-of-conversation-to-new-evidence-and/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [What is essential in love is what the French call 'amour fou.' What is that in English? Crazy love? That doesn't sound as beautiful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/what-is-essential-in-love-is-what-the-french-call-amour-fou-what-is/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [It is essential that our love be liberating, not possessive. We must at all times give those we love the freedom to be themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-powell/it-is-essential-that-our-love-be-liberating-not-possessive-we-must-at/) [John Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-powell/) > [I want you to live the best life you can. You can be world-changers. .. Pursue this life of love with focus and passion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/i-want-you-to-live-the-best-life-you-can-you-can-be-world-changers/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [“To love one must focus one's heart on another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/to-love-one-must-focus-one-s-heart-on-another/) Will Advise > [Use the opportunity of being single to love yourself and focus on making you a better person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/use-the-opportunity-of-being-single-to-love-yourself-and-focus-on/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Develop your knowledge into a skill, and then develop it into love, so you can focus on it with joy virtually every waking moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/develop-your-knowledge-into-a-skill-and-then-develop-it-into-love-so/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I love the focus on my looks. It's part of my character. It makes me who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-love-the-focus-on-my-looks-it-s-part-of-my-character-it-makes-me/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [You have to find what you love about yourself, focus on it and show that to people as much as you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoshanna-lonstein-gruss/you-have-to-find-what-you-love-about-yourself-focus-on-it-and-show/) [Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoshanna-lonstein-gruss/) > [“You may value me for what I have and what I do. But I am not what I have or what I do. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/you-may-value-me-for-what-i-have-and-what-i-do-but-i-am-not-what-i/) [Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/) > [I think a lot about the editing of the films when we're making them, partly because I studied that, and partly because if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schneider/i-think-a-lot-about-the-editing-of-the-films-when-we-re-making-them/) [Paul Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schneider/) ## More Change the world quotes > [If you learn something that changes you, you've made progress. If you learn something that changes others, you've helped change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanie-lane/if-you-learn-something-that-changes-you-you-ve-made-progress-if-you/) Lanie Lane > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Paul Gray - he believed in my art, and I believed in his music. 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If they know you and see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/larry-kramer-wisely-realized-so-early-on-that-to-change-the-world/) [Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Don't underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry or a global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/don-t-underestimate-the-power-of-your-vision-to-change-the-world/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [“I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. 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What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) [Browse all 2,043 Change the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is essential to love that it be, not a focus of two persons on each other, but of two persons on the same thing external to them both. Although it has always been on offer, God's love cannot really be experienced unless or until one works side by side with him at transforming the world--unless or until one has confronted real affliction with him (\"suffer[ed] with him,' Paul says in Romans 8:17) while tackling the task of remodeling the world (in what Paul calls, again in Romans 8:17, being \"joint-heirs with Christ\"). 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