Love is…?

                The Valentine’s decoration went up in the stores as soon as the Christmas decorations came down. It is amazing how quickly we can change directions. No time to stop and reflect. We must push on. Valentine’s Day means different things to different people. In elementary school, exchanging Valentines means acceptance. In high school it may symbolize friendship or adolescent romance. For married couples it may be an affirmation of their love for one another. For some singles, Valentine’s Day is a reminder of their singleness. At the heart of Valentine’s Day is the question, what is love?

                There have many answers to that question questions. Love is blind. Love is a many splendored thing. Love hurts. Love is confusing. Love is never having to say you are sorry. Love is being accepted for who you are. Love is knowing that someone cares about you. Love is becoming vulnerable. Love is sharing life with another person. Most people define love as an emotion or a feeling. We often speak of falling in love, as if we had no choice.

                The Bible tells us that God is love. Love is not just something He does, it is a part of the very essence of who He is. So if we are going to understand true love, we would do well to go the source of all love. The Bible completes the statement “love is…” in a number of ways. Here is just a sampling.

                Love is a gift we receive from God. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10

                Love is sacrificial. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16

                Love is a conscious choice. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11

                Love is practical. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:17-18

                Love is unconditional. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

                Love is selfless. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

                Love is a command. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35

                Love is at the very heart of what it means to be made in the image of God. God loved us so much that He sent Jesus into the world to die for us. He wants us to not just receive this love, but to share this love with those around us. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2