Love is?
Did you know?
In Matthew 22, a lawyer asked Jesus what the greatest commandment is. Jesus tells us the two greatest commandments are to LOVE the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind & to LOVE your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:36-40
Week 9
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word love?
Now why did we have you watch a car commercial? Well, pay attention to the car's catchphrase. It is: "Love, it's what makes a Subaru a Subaru." This is saying that love is what makes the car unique and different from any other car. Now put that in the back of your brain because we're going to come back to it!
Today, many people define the word love very differently. Because we live in a fallen world, there is a lot of confusion about what this word truly means. Some might think that love is a feeling. While we do feel love for people and things, love is not simply defined by how we feel. Love is an action. Now what does that mean? Let's take a look at the bible, which tells us the exact definition of love.
Biblical Love
Selfless love is the priority of every Christian.
In the reading, Paul says that even if he had some of the greatest gifts and abilities, he would be nothing if he did not love others. Selfless love is love that puts others first.
It is patient and it is kind.
Patience is when you can wait calmly without complaining. Patience is reflected when you are not quick to anger.
Kindness is one of the virtues we learned about when studying Tabitha.
Love is not proud, it is not self-seeking.
It is not all about me but it is all about others. It is caring and not selfish.
It keeps no record of wrongs.
It is forgiving.
These are distinct characteristics that define true love!
What is even more encouraging is verse 7 when it says, "Love endures through every circumstance."
This shows the unconditional love that God shows us. Jesus's death on the cross is the ultimate display of God's love for us. We must love others because he loved us first.
How can we reflect this love? We reflect this love to others because Jesus lives in us. The author of true love guides us to love others the way that he loved us. In a fallen and evil world, we must point people to Jesus. We show others that we love them by spreading God's message, telling them about Jesus, and being a light in a dark world.
Love, it's what makes a Christian a Christian.
What do I mean?
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Remember how we were talking about the car commercial catchphrase? We can apply it to our lives because love is what makes Christians, Christians!
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Am I saying that just because you love other people that means you follow Christ? No, not necessarily. But let's think about it:
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Christians love God
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Christians show God's love to others
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Christ sums up all the commands by naming the two greatest ones: both were about LOVE
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So without love, we are nothing. Remember, Jesus lives within us when we accept Him. If we are not loving, we are not showing that Christ lives in us. Just like the car commercial, when we display God's love to others, we are unique and different from other people. This brings glory to God!
Let us pray that God would help us to show his love to others. In the news today, we can see that there is a lot of hate and evil in this world, but love conquers all. Not the love that the world lives by, but the love of Christ to save!
