What is love?
“Love” has been horribly abused in today’s world. It’s
been seen as an uncontrollable emotion that leads to destructive behavior, or
as empty words thrown back and forth with no substance.
The love that is listed as the fruit of the Spirit
in Galatians
5:22 is much different. It is translated from the Greek word agape, used
here to express the highest form of love that comes through the Holy Spirit.
The love we are supposed to be demonstrating must be a godly love, which comes
from God, the being who personifies this attribute.
This agape love which
the Holy Spirit manifests in believers in the Greek language is very precise. This love is not a
feeling, but a choice. It is the choice to be kind, to sacrifice, to consider
another's needs greater than one's own (Philippians
2:3). Agape is used in all of the “hard” love verses in the New
Testament:
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
"For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another" (1 John 3:11).
“Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back” (Luke 6:35).
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).
It is because of love that God carried out His plan to save the world: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It is only by love that we can keep the greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
"For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another" (1 John 3:11).
“Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back” (Luke 6:35).
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).
It is because of love that God carried out His plan to save the world: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It is only by love that we can keep the greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).
2 John 1:6 says, “This is love, that we walk
according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have
heard from the beginning, you should walk in it” (emphasis added throughout).
The love Christ-Followers are expected to demonstrate as a
fruit of the Spirit is based on the two great commandments: love God and love your neighbor (Matthew
22:35-40). Love can be defined as outgoing concern demonstrated by
following the commandments God has written in the Bible. The 10 Commandments show both how to have a true
relationship with the Creator (appropriate respect and worship practices) and
how to interact with and treat other human beings (avoiding what the Bible
calls sin, which destroys relationships).
What is love? Love is a great gift from God. The Bible
tells us that love suffers long, is kind, does not envy, does not parade
itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not
provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, rejoices in the truth,
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things and
never fails (paraphrased from 1 Corinthians 13, often called the Love Chapter).
Becoming
more like God
God is love. The apostle John describes this: “Beloved,
let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of
God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1
John 4:7-8).
God loved the world so much that He gave up His Son to
face torture and crucifixion, taking the penalty of sin on Himself, so that we
might have our sins forgiven and have access to His Holy Spirit (John 3:16).
Those who say they are Christian and who strive to walk as Christ walked (1
John 2:6) realize that God wants us to demonstrate the selflessness of love
because He wants us to become more like Him.
Humanity has tried for thousands of years to get by
without loving God or loving one another, and it hasn’t worked. The world
is full of misery, pain, death, suffering and many other horrible realities.
The world’s version of love unfortunately does not come from God, but rather
from Satan, an embittered fallen angel who will stop at nothing to twist
anything good God has given to man.
Why does God want us to demonstrate love? It is who and
what He is, and He wants us to experience that and show those around us that
they don’t have to settle for Satan’s mirage of shallow or twisted love.
Love
self-examination questionnaire
What is my definition of love? Does it coincide with what
God has revealed?
Do my actions show God’s love? Or do my actions show the
world’s idea of love? Why?
Does my love mainly benefit me? Or does my love largely
benefit others?
Do I love God more than any human being? What evidence in
my life shows this?
Agape is kind. Agape never fails.
God desires to show His perfect, selfless love to a world that is routinely
confused about what true love is. God’s children are the conduits of His love,
as they are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Study and internalize God’s 10 Commandments (instructions about how to love God
and our fellow man), and then strive to follow them every day of our lives.
As Christ- Followers we are to be the beacon of a
different love, a love that will ultimately save humanity.
Be Blessed and be a blessing – be that beacon of Love
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