WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE?

 

Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

What does it mean for us to love God and love others? The concept of love is a real mixed bag. We all know that we use the word love in many different ways. We might say, I love my car, I love my dog, I love my job, I love ice cream, I love my children, I love my spouse. In each case we mean something very different by the word love.

Infortunately today, the word love is most often equated with sexual desire. A catch phrase today for some people is, no one has the right to tell me who I can love. What is really meant by that is no one has the right to tell me who I can love sexually. This is very unfortunate and also misleading.

This really comes into play when we talk about loving God. Many men find it hard to talk about loving God because of how the word love is used today. Yet we are commanded to love God with all that we are.

I read a book years ago called Why Men Hate the Church or something like that. One of the reasons is that much of the language we use in church makes men very uncomfortable. It is often very feminine language that most men cannot identify with. That is especially true when we talk about loving God.

So, what does it mean to love God, and from there to love others?

The first step is to expand our understanding of the word love. In English we have only one word; love. In Greek, and other languages as well, there are multiple words that describe what we call love.

In its simplest form, love is an expression of appreciation or liking. To say that I love any object, such as my car or ice cream, is to say that I appreciate and value those things. Even this has some breadth to it. When I say that I love ice cream, I really mean that I really like the taste of ice cream. But to say that I love my house is to mean that I appreciate the sense of warmth and security I get from my place of dwelling.

When we turn from objects to people, the word love takes on different meanings. At a very basic level love expresses the positive relationships that can exist within a family unit. Parents love their children and children love their parents. It is the natural connection that occurs because we are related to one another in that special bond of family. In many cases this kind of love is extended to aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. This love is what holds a family together. It is a sense of place and belonging, which we all desire. In many ways, it shapes our identity.

When we move outside of the family, love takes on a different meaning. In this sense, love is the expression of genuine friendship. It is more than mere acquaintance. When two or more people connect with one another on a deeper level, a bond of love is formed that has nothing to do with sexuality. Many men who have served in the military have experienced this kind of love for their fellow soldiers. There is a deep bond of shared experiences and shared values that sets this relationship apart from others.

Of course, there is also sexual or intimate love. Unfortunately, this level of love has taken center stage as the only real meaning of love. God created men and women to be connected in the most profound way through sexual and intimate love. This is a love that binds two people together in a unique way. It is the foundation for family. This love goes beyond just sexuality. It is a deep commitment to honor, serve, and care for one another above others. It is intended to be exclusive. It is the glue that binds a man and a woman together for a lifetime. This kind of love goes beyond feelings, although feelings are an integral part of it. When we isolate out the sexual component of this kind of love as the most important part we devalue it. This love, when experienced genuinely, is the closest to sacred love.

That brings us to the highest level of love; love for God or sacred love. This love is not physical, as the other loves are. It is spiritual. It encompasses most of the aspects of the other loves but takes them to a much higher level. To love God is to acknowledge who He is as the Creator and Sustainer of all that is. It is to give Him His rightful place on the throne of our lives. It is to celebrate His value, worth, and perfection. It is to Hold God in the highest regard, above all others. It also means to draw near to God in an intimate, close relationship where He can speak into our lives and shape who we become. To love God is to value what He values. It is to seek His glory and honor. To love God is to trust Him with our very life. To love God is to serve Him with all that we are and have.

When we sing or speak about loving God we are expressing our allegiance to Him. We are expressing our commitment to live in relationship with Him.

When we genuinely love someone, we are willing to sacrifice for them. We are willing to go out of our way to please them. We are willing to help them in whatever way we can. We are willing to stand with them through thick and thin. Genuine love is not about what we can get from the other person, but experiencing the pure joy of sharing life with them. That is the kind of love that Jesus demonstrated for us. It is the kind of love that He desires from us.

John 15:9-13 (NIV)
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.