“I love you” – we often hear this from friends and family. But what does it really mean to love someone? Do we have a standard we can look up to? We need to get our definition of love right.
Why?
Because everything revolves around love.
Why?
Because God is love. – 1 John 4:7
How do we possibly share about God to others when we do not even know the actual essence of His love?
1 Corinthians -13 gives us an amazing definition of love.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails.
Keeping this as our checklist we need to find what’s lacking in the way we love. No one else has/can/will ever love you this way but God. We however need to keep trying and get better and better with this standard in mind.
God did not tap on your shoulders and tell you that He loves you, but He screamed it out to each one of us from the top of a hill called Calvary. Not with words, but with His life.
The kind of love that tells He loves you even without using words.
So, when God has shown us such an extent of His unconditional love, can we thank Him with words alone?
It is not enough to only wake up in the morning and say, “I love you Lord” and then go ahead with daily chores completely forgetting Him.
Romans 12 says that worship is not just words of praise but also shown in deeds.
So, if you love God what should you do? Jesus said in John 14:15 that –
“If you love me, keep my commands.”
When Jesus ascended to heaven, He left us with a great commission to carry out.
Mathew 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
So, love is much more than just words. It doesn’t mean that we stop using words but it means that it goes beyond. It goes on into actions. If you love, it needs to overflow into actions.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God did not love us at our best but at our worst, and still does. May we not be so blinded as to not see His love towards us. We need to love people knowing that they are God’s creation and are valued in His sight. When we look down on someone, we are looking down on the creation of God! We love because He loved us despite our shortcomings.
So the next time when you say an “I love you”, remember that it means a lot. May we not say it less, but may we live it more. Love is about giving, not getting. The more you give, the more you will be filled with God’s love and will never run dry.
“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”
― Amy Carmichael
Anyone can give when he has enough, but may we love enough to always give. Love the right way! – let’s keep the standards sky high – Love the way God loves.
Affirm Truth 