What is Love?
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners… 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.” Romans 5:8,10 NLT
The longer I live, the more I am aware of the fact that life without love is not life at all.
Recently I interviewed a wide cross-section of people and asked the question,
“When you hear the word, ‘love’, what do you think of?
How would you answer that question?
The saddest response was from a woman who responded, “It doesn’t exist.”
I asked why and she said she had been hurt too many times. I could see the deadness in her face, her expressions, the tone of her voice. Some of you may feel this way.
I think a life without love is like being dead while still alive.
Some of you have had a bad experience with love. Human love, no matter how good, or how bad, is unpredictable, and sometimes unsafe. That is why if we are going to start talking about love, we have to start with God. Why?
Here are some things about God’s love:
- God is love. He doesn’t just have love.
- God’s love is immovable and unchangeable, no matter what you do.
- God made us in His image. To be healthy and happy we must be receiving and giving love.
- We were made from love and for love.
We don’t function well on substitutes for genuine love. If your car needs gas, don’t try putting diesel in it. It won’t function the right way.
There are so many substitutes we try to use such as possessions, positions, and even godly purposes like serving, giving, at church – trying to earn love from God and others. Not only do these things not work, they distort by tempting us to isolate and hide or lash out with aggression, etc.
But God’s love, on the other hand, removes all fear, heals all wounds, and frees you to be fully you – the you God created you to be.
John
Watch or listen to my sermon here
Your Turn
- What have you tried to substitute for God’s love?
- How has God shown His love to You?
- How could you express your love to someone else this week?