Love. Love is a word that is used quite often in our society today. We love our families and friends. We love our significant other. We love our homes. We love certain foods or drinks. There are so many things to love! There are even plenty of songs that tell us all about love. But do we truly understand the true meaning of love and what loves really looks like in practice?
I love my husband with all my heart. He means so much to me and I am so thankful to have him in my life. However, I know that I am not perfect at loving him. I can be selfish sometimes. I can focus on my needs or feelings above his. I can say or do things that are not a true reflection of how much I love him, or the way that I should love him.
To see a true example of love we need look no further than Jesus Christ. Jesus is the embodiment of God’s love in every way. Jesus loved us so much that he came down from heaven to be with us. Jesus loved us so much that he went to the cross without hesitation. Jesus walked and ate with sinners, even though they were not worthy. Jesus loved us so much that he gave up everything so that we could be reconciled to our heavenly Father. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We are not worthy of God’s love and grace, but Jesus makes us worthy. Another thing to remember when it comes to the love of God is that nothing and no one can take his love away from you. “No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). God’s love is never out of reach. As I mentioned previously, God’s love has no conditions. No matter how far gone you think you are, you are never outside of the extent of God’s love because it is infinite. No matter what you say or do, God will never stop loving you.
Love comes down to putting the needs of others above the needs of yourself. Love involves sacrifice and selflessness. There is no room for selfishness in true love. God’s love is far greater than we could ever understand. It is hard to even comprehend how someone could give up everything for someone who is not always willing to give it back in return. However, the beauty in God’s love is that his love is not conditional on what we say or do. God loves us with a passionate, unfailing love no matter what we say or do. God will continue to run after us with his love no matter how far we run from him or for how long. To be that patient in love is mind blowing.
Scripture defines love as follows:
“Love is patient and kind; loves does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Can we say that we love in this exact way? I know that I can’t, not always. Take some time to reflect on the love of God through his greatest gift, sending Christ to be born as a child, to grow up and love others in the way described above, and to show the ultimate act of love – dying on the cross to take on the punishment that we all deserved. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him”. (1 John 4:9). Let’s focus on how we can give the gift of love and share the gift God gave to us to others that need his love.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
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