You Cannot Give What You Don't Have
- Henley Samuel
- May 8
- 6 min read
May 08, 2026
There is a love that this world does not know. Not because people have not tried to find it, or because no one has talked about it, but because it cannot be manufactured from within us. It has to come from somewhere else entirely. Today I want to talk to you about a supernatural love, the love of Jesus Christ, and why the world is falling apart without it.
The Call to Walk in Love
Let me show you something in the book of Ephesians. Chapter 5, verse 1 and 2 says:
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1-2
Notice what is being asked of us. Walk in love. Not just feel love, not just talk about love, but walk in it the way Christ walked in it. And how did Christ show that love? He gave Himself as an offering on the cross. That is the standard. That is what we are called to imitate.
But here is the honest question: how many of us can do that in our own strength?
The Wallet Illustration
Let me give you a simple picture. Imagine I ask someone, "Give me 100 dollars." If that money is not in his wallet, he simply cannot give it. It does not matter how much I press him. He cannot give what he does not have.
You cannot give what you do not first possess.
That is exactly what is happening with love in this world. People are trying to love one another, but they are reaching into an empty wallet. The love is not there because they have never received it from its true source.
The World Without This Love
Look at what is happening around us. Statistics from Australia show that in 2017 alone, out of over 150,000 marriages, more than 40,000 ended in divorce. That is a 5.2 percent increase from the previous year. The average marriage lasted just 12 years. And more than 47 percent of those divorces affected children.
Think about it. Why do couples betray one another? Why does anger lead to destruction? Why does greed drive people to cheat?
The root cause of every broken relationship and every broken society is one thing: the absence of love.
Anger at its root is a lack of love. Betrayal in marriage is a lack of love. Financial dishonesty between people is a lack of love. When you flip back to Ephesians 5:3-5 and read that long list of sins the apostle warns against, every single one of them traces back to the same source. The world is not asking the right question because it does not even know that a different kind of love exists.
The Love That Is Beyond Natural Reason
The Bible calls it in Ephesians the
"love that surpasses knowledge." Ephesians 3:19
That phrase is extraordinary. It literally means a love that your rational mind cannot contain or explain. The world can see it, be touched by it, and still not be able to produce it.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul says that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. The world looks for signs, for wisdom, for systems that reward the deserving. But the love of Jesus does not operate on that system.
"The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18
Think about how love works in the world. You see it on social media all the time: "If you treat me well, I will treat you well. Otherwise, good day." That is a conditioned, merit-based love. You earn it. You perform for it. But that is not the love Jesus demonstrated. Not by a long measure.
Sinners, Not Saints
Now let me read to you from Romans 5, beginning at verse 6:
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8
Read that again. Not when we were righteous. Not after we had cleaned ourselves up. While we were still sinners. While we were still enemies of God, He loved us and acted on that love.
Romans 5 continues:
"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." Romans 5:10
We were enemies of God. Opponents. And even then, His love reached toward us. That is not natural. That is supernatural.
1 John 2:2 makes it even wider:
"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2
He did not come just for Christians. He came as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. His arms were stretched wide enough for every human being. The question is only whether we receive what He has already provided.
The Only Love That Can Flow Out
You now understand the illustration. Because God first loved us, that love becomes something we can release to others. Not because we are naturally good people. Not because we are more patient or more disciplined. But because when we receive His love and let it settle inside us, it changes what is in our wallet.
When God's love fills you, you finally have something to give.
This is why Ephesians says that
"Christ dwelling in your heart through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love" Ephesians 3:17
Love is the starting point. Not behaviour management. Not a list of rules. Roots first. Then fruit.
Conclusion
The world is hungry for a love it cannot produce and cannot explain. Every marriage that breaks, every friendship that betrays, every community that tears itself apart is evidence of the same emptiness. But you were not meant to live from that emptiness.
Jesus gave Himself for you while you were still an enemy. That love is not a reward. It is a gift. And when you truly receive it, something remarkable happens. You find that you actually have something to offer the people around you, not from your natural goodness, but from the fullness of His grace poured into you.
Walk in that love today.
Reflect on This
Are there relationships in your life where you have been trying to love from an empty place? What would it look like to first receive God's love before trying to give it?
The Bible says Christ died for us while we were still enemies and sinners. How does understanding that reality change the way you see yourself, and the way you see others who are difficult to love?
Prayer
Father, I thank You that You did not wait for me to deserve Your love before You gave it. You loved me while I was still far from You, still weak, still a sinner. I receive that love today, not as a concept, but as a living reality in my heart. Because You have loved me, I choose to release that same love to the people around me. Let what is in me be a reflection of what Christ has already done for me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Key Takeaways
The love God calls us to walk in is not natural human love but the supernatural, selfless love of Christ demonstrated at the cross.
You cannot give what you do not first possess, and genuine love for others begins with receiving God's love for yourself.
Christ died for the ungodly, sinners, and enemies of God, revealing that His love is not based on merit or performance.
Every relational breakdown in the world, from divorce to betrayal to violence, traces to the absence of this supernatural love.
God's love was given freely before any worthiness on our part, and that same grace is available to us right now.
All content on this blog is the property of Henley Samuel Ministries. For permissions or inquiries regarding the use of any material, please contact us at contact@henleysamuel.org.
To dive deeper into this powerful message, watch the full sermon on our YouTube video below.
Comments