Love is one of those polarizing words. It can seem simple or complex. It can be obvious or evasive. It conjures up feelings of hurt or feelings of healing. It can be easily said or awkwardly unsaid. So how can a simple blog post attempt to grasp “love?” Well, it can’t, and I can’t. So I’ll just speak about what God says about love.
Time and again I’ve had to untangle my perception of what love is from what God tells us it is. The world sells us a lot of lies about love. I wanted to share a few that I’ve believed at various times in my life that God has mercifully debunked.
The world says: Love is easy. God says: Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)
Completely gentle? I’ve failed at this several times today before writing this post. This work of love is not easy – for us. But God is love, so it is easy for him.
The world says: Love always makes you feel good. God says: Sometimes love hurts. (Mark 10)
The rich young ruler is a great example of this. Notice how verses 21 and 22 of Mark 10 says that Jesus loved him, but the man went away sad:
“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
Sometimes speaking the truth in love will hurt. But God is love, so he refines us.
The world says: The opposite of love is hate. God says: The opposite of love is fear. (James 4)
Check your motivations for those people that you find hard to love or those times in your life you find yourself not wanting to love. Dig deeper into those and you’ll likely find that fear is an underlying motivator. Do you fear what is different from you? Do you fear rejection? Do you fear not being in control?
God is love, and he casts out fear.
The world says: Love means you get what you want. God says: Love means sacrifice. (John 3:16)
God sacrificed his son for us. Can’t really get more sacrificial than that! But scripture doesn’t stop there. God calls us to sacrifice as well: John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Philippians 2:1-4, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
God is love, so he sacrifices for us.
The world says: You can find love apart from God. God says: I am love. (1 John 4)
All truth is God’s truth and all love comes from God. Whatever good we see in the world is a demonstration of his love. But more than that – we have access to all that God is. Which means, if we are in Christ, we can never be separated from God’s love.
How has God helped you understand what love is when the world is telling you something different? If you’d be willing, share it in the comments below.
ABOUT THE BLOGGER
Originally from Georgia, Mary Beth Gombita is a lover of sweet tea, a proud Georgia Bulldog and an avid music fan. She works in public relations, running her own communications consulting business from home. Mary Beth and her husband, Stephen, have two sons who are both toddlers. She is currently the editor of our Willowdale Women blogs.
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