This is What Love Is

 

This is What Love Is

1 John 4: ⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ And God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him. ¹⁰ This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.

 

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Receiving a note with “Yes” or “No” boxes drawn on it and the words “Do you like me?” made my heart leap! I was in “love” and I didn’t know it until I got the note. Later in life, we were ogling over body shapes. I was in “love” with the body shape that was talked about most.

 

• My definition of love was skewed.
• My thought of what love is was defined by my own lusts.
• My description of love came from a human perspective which was very wrong.

 

John goes back to the greatest commandment given by JESUS, namely “love one another.” He didn’t leave it up to interpretation for those who were looking for selfish vaunts, rather he defined what true love is.

 

My Observations:

• GOD gave up something extremely precious just to have a relationship with me.
• GOD is made up of love so HIS definition is pure.
• GOD’s example of love can only be mimicked by humans in a tiny way.

 

Sin taints my definition of love. I mean, whatever I view as “love” may be mixed in with the world’s definition and it could contain selfishness, envy, jealousy and pride. When “I” am not getting the things “I” feel “I” should get, then perhaps “I” am not being loved. GOD says, this is not HIS definition.

 

JESUS volunteered to become a human, die for the sins of humanity and be raised from the dead. HE and HE alone can forgive sins that would otherwise, cause eternal death, suffering and pain. GOD loved us first, so much so, that HE gave up HIS one and only SON for us. I am so glad GOD loves me with pure love.

 

Challenge:

• What do you think the writer spells put “What love is?”
• Do you have a definition of love in your mind that causes someone to fail?
• Will you look at GOD’s definition of love and rethink yours so you can spread HIS love to everyone HE sends you to today?

 

Prayer

Dear LORD HEAVENLY FATHER, thank YOU for showing us love when we were selfishly using our own definition. Dear JESUS, thank YOU for dying for our sins. We celebrate YOUR resurrection!  amen