What Is Love?

I have to tell you; my anger towards those who are celebrating their “victory” to sentence to death the most innocent of all human-beings, not only at any time in the womb, but now, even in the birth cannel itself, is absolutely barbaric and testing my love for my fellow man to the extreme! The country I love is being sold to Satan for the price of self gratification wrapped in a perverted heartless “love” that’s being redefined every day. If this behavior continues, God-fearing or not, the wrath of God is going to come down on this nation and its citizens for allowing the dismantling of righteous living under His gift of love. “There are six things the Lord hates, seven are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community” (Proverbs 6:16-19). All of these things are out of control in our state and federal legislatures. Do you think God is angry too?

February – the month of love. Love is, perhaps, the most abused word in the English language. It is a word that has become vague and diluted through misunderstanding and misapplication. We hear the word love used interchangeably with just about anything and everything. For instance, someone could say, “I love hotdogs” and in the same breathe say, “I love my wife.” Our culture has trivialized the word love and greatly devalued it in the process. Society markets a cheap imitation of love, in our culture, sentimentality is mistaken for love. Love is based on how someone makes one feel. Love is also met with conditions. In a society that exalts individualism, people see love as a response as to how they are treated. “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours,” is the mantra of so many involved in a “loving” relationship. We get love wrong because we begin at the wrong starting point. We start with ourselves when we should be starting with God. Authentic love must always start with God. God is love (1 John 4:8), and everything we need to know about love we can learn from Him. In fact, God sent His Son to teach us about love. Through Christ we learn that authentic love pays a price. The apostle Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Christ paid the ultimate price for you and for me. His love was so great, that he laid down his life for us. “My command is this (Jesus said): Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:12-14). Christ also shows that authentic love is completely unearned. God loves us because of who He is, regardless of who we are. Because, God, by his very nature, is love. John wrote, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10).God loved us first; even when we didn’t deserve it. He willingly gave it. Authentic love holds nothing back. God’s love suffered. It hung on a cross. The love of God is so immense that it allowed His Son to die an agonizing painful death, all for lowly humans like you and me. God’s love is no cheap imitation. Authentic love is about loving like God. It’s about character, not feeling or emotion. And it’s about who we are, not something we do. Authentic love is not contractual, it’s not conditional, and its intended purpose is not the pleasure of self. Authentic love is unearned, unconditional and unselfish. It loves without expecting a return. Lord, purify our hearts.