“Love is when someone makes me smile when I’m tired.”
“Love is when mom takes a sip of dad’s coffee before giving it to him to make sure it tastes just right.”
“Love is walking the dog when it’s below zero outside.”
There are so many ways to define love in our modern world. And so many ways of expressing it. But what is love really and how are we to live it out in our relationships? If you are reading this blog, you probably know by now that I write from a Christian worldview and I am always seeking to understand our world and our place in it (as humans) from a biblical perspective.
So What is Love?
When we turn from the latest Netflix show or Hollywood movie (though many of them are wonderfully entertaining), what do we find in the Scriptures as it pertains to love? If I were going to give a full three-part message I may offer the following three points: 1) God is love, 2) We love because God loved us first, and 3) Love looks, sounds and feels like Jesus. But for the sake of brevity, I will focus this post on number three because it is the most practical (though the first two points are foundational and maybe in another post I can expound on them).
1. God is love.
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.“
1 John 4:7-8
2. We love because God loved us first.
“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
3. Love looks, feels and sounds like Jesus.
This Valentines morning, we greeted each other around our family table. We decided to set our usual devotional study book down and turn instead to the definition of love offered by the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
1 Corinthians 13: 4-7
Most of us have heard these verses quoted a million times. But when we insert our own name into the passage (Ali is patient…Ali is kind…etc.) are we really living it out? Gulp.
I don’t know about you but when I go down the list and evaluate my own life in light of this standard, I can’t help but feel sucker-punched in the side with conviction. Suddenly, it becomes so glaringly obvious how far I am from truly loving the way our Lord Jesus did.
The good news is we can always ask God for help (see Luke 11:13). We need His grace and the power of His Holy Spirit, whose power helps us in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9-11). Without the Spirit, we will never get there on our own.
Here is a challenge for us all this week: Continue meditating on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 line by line. Ask God:
- Which aspect of love do I need to work on?
- From whom do I need to ask forgiveness for not loving them well lately?
- In what new ways can I show love to those around me?
- Who is in need of God’s love through me this week and how can I show it?
May we all have a fresh revelation of what God’s love means and how that is to transfer over into our human relationships.
Happy loving on this Valentines Day!
*Would you like to work on your ability to love well? Perhaps you’ve recognized a deficit somewhere and you want to improve in that area. Or an important relationship has gone sour and you’re unsure why and would like to process it through with someone. Ot maybe you’re curious about God and how to access His love. Whatever it is, working with a coach who will walk alongside you and support your growth in your journey may be just what you need. Book a free consultation here and let’s have a chat!