GOD IS LOVE

February is the month that we take a little time to reflect on the subject of ‘Love’. We set aside February 14th as a special day to celebrate our feelings toward our sweetheart. We go out of our way to do something special for them or buy them something nice to express our feelings towards that one special person. It is a day that we go out to dinner or maybe go to a show to spend time with our special love and to let them know that you love them as the exceptional person that they are. The emotion and act of love is something that is special between people that is unequal to any other sentiment of the human composition we possess; yet, the term ‘love’ is often thrown around like a ball at a kid’s camp. It is misused to describe so many favored things that it begins to lose its meaning for its intended purpose. We say we ‘love’ things, like a favorite food, such as pizza, seafood, or steak. We might say that we ‘love’ the beach, or the mountains, or the parks. We say we ‘love’ cycling, or swimming, biking, or running. In some cases, people say they ‘love’ gaming, or the movies, music or simply relaxing. Each of these things and more are often expressed as parts of our lives that we ‘love’; but, is it really love? It’s not that being fond of these places, things, or activities is wrong or even problematic in some sort of way. The issue can be how we classify them in our lives with the label of ‘love’. Love is a special emotion that expresses a characteristic that is reserved for the most special sensitivity towards the special people in our lives. In its basic form, there are four different type of ‘love’.
The unique thing about all these definitions is that they all relate to people. None of these terms are associated with a place, an activity, or a food. Not one describes an appropriate sensitivity towards ice cream, or television programming, or sports. Such things can have a meaningful place in our lives, but love is exclusive to people. On top of that, our love is meant for all people, one way or another. According to God’s plan, each of these ‘Loves’ are designated to the people in our lives; from ‘Eros’ love that we share with our spouse, to ‘Philia’ love that we share with our fellow man, to ‘Agape’ love that we share with God for the people of his church, to ‘Storge’ love that we lavish on our children.
In this day and age, it has become hard to define the true meaning of love in our culture because it is a term that has been misrepresented in so many ways; yet, I want to challenge us to look past the worldly view of love to the root of its source. God gave us love because God is love. He set the bar for love by displaying his love for us. 1 John 4:9 & 10 says,
9 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”.
God loved us so much that he sent his son, Jesus to save us and to give us everlasting life. Future more, there is no greater love than God’s love for us. John 15:13 tells us that,
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”.
With this in mind, God gives us a perfect model to practice our love; for not only him, but for others, as well. As we are instructed to love others as we love God (Matthew 22:39), we come to understand that love is something that we need to have for all humanity. In fact, Jesus tell us from John 13:34,
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”.
When it comes to loving others, it is not always the easiest thing to do; however, I need to remember that I may have not been the easiest person to love when it comes to being loved by God. Think about it: I deserved death, I deserved hell. Thanks and praise to God that he loved me and provided me grace that saved me from my sin. I can do no less than to love others the way God loved me.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:8 that, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins”. People are imperfect, which includes me and you; yet, God shows us that we can love each-other when we look pass our flaws and model ourselves after the living example set for us by God, himself. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!