A Different Kind of Post--Love...My Valentine's Dilemma

NOTE: This is different than my other posts.  This is a LONG post. I'm not going to apologize as this is just some of what God was showing me and I wanted to share it.  Who knows, if you read it through to the end, He might just show you something in a new light too.  :-)

Note for this post: (I will use scripture and for easier reading purposes, I will use a numbering system for referencing instead of in-text referencing)

Love…My Valentine’s Day Dilemma 

So often in our society, the word “love” is used without thought.  “I you’re your cooking!”, “I love you”, “I love swimming”, “Gotta love this”, are just a few of the things one might say without it even crossing our minds to define the word we are using.  No wonder people are so confused and wounded by “love”.  Red and pink have already begun to be hung in stores to commemorate the day dedicated to “love” and its early January.  Commercials show us that “love” is about sexiness and physical touch.  But what is love?  What does God tell us love is?  We all know that “God is love” but what does that mean?  Let us look at what His word says about love for a moment. 

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1)

From this I see a few things.  We are called to love.  Why? Not because of anything good about us.  But instead because God loves us.  Loving one another isn’t just some “well, we should” thing to do but instead is pivotal as to whether or not we have been born of God.  IF we know God, we WILL love, because God IS love and lives within us when we know Him.  What does it mean that God IS love?  If God is love, which He is, does it make since to use the word “love” so flippantly?  If God IS love, then He defines what love is.  If we look at Him, we will know what it means to love and be able to see what love looks like here on earth.

Let’s look further:

 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. (2) 

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (3) 

The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, (4) 

but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.(5) 

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (6)

It looks like some keys things God is showing me is that His love is STEADFAST, He is FAITHFUL, MERCIFUL, and GRACIOUS.

For me, a little more defining is necessary at this point.

STEADFAST is defined by Webster as “firm; resolute”.  Resolute means “having a fixed purpose; unwavering”. So God’s love is firm.  I can stand on it.  I won’t sink or drown.  It can hold me no matter how heavy my burden is.  God’s love is unwavering.  It isn’t going anywhere.  Just because I get mad or yell at God or screw it up all the time, doesn’t mean He stops loving me.  He doesn’t get tossed to and fro by my emotions but instead gives me this firm, never moving, constant love.

FAITHFUL is defined as loyal, exact, or true.  God’s love is loyal.  He never cheats on us even though we constantly put things in front of Him in our lives.  His love is true.  It’s not a lie, it’s not fake.  God is there. Period.  He doesn’t leave you for an improved version or upgrade when you get a little flaky.

Webster defines MERCIFUL as compassionate.  And he defines compassion as sympathy, and sympathy as condolence.  He doesn’t just sit there and look blankly at you when you are crying heartfelt tears.  He doesn’t just say “grow up” when you are upset about breaking your tiny little toe.  He has sympathy for you.  He knows what it feels like to have a broken heart since we consistently break His.  

He is GRACIOUS.  He shows us grace.  Grace…God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense (I heard that in a ShaiLinne song).  In other words, He gives us what we don’t deserve.  In fact, we deserve to be smashed and punished for our sin, yet He freely gives us love and mercy instead.  (at the expense of Christ, which we will look at momentarily)

Ok, so far we realize that REAL love stays put and doesn’t go anywhere even when things aren’t going to hot.  REAL love is loyal and shows compassion and gives even when it should take instead.

Let’s go further.  

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (7) 

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (8)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (9)

Love means laying down our life.  We could say it means laying down our rights.  God didn’t have to send His son to die in our place, He could have just let us die in our sin.  It was His right to have justice, regardless of how that justice comes about.  He could have decided just to let us get a certain age and crush us and suffer for the rest of eternity apart from him, but He didn’t.  Instead He laid down His life for us.  He died the death we deserved and paid the punishment we should have incurred.  He didn’t do it when we were at our best.  You know, how we do it.  When our spouse is doing all the right things, we make sure to say “I love you” with the batting eyes, showing how pleased we are with their actions.  That’s not how God does it.  He loves us when we suck (that’s probably a bad word for some of you so let’s say stink instead).  He loves us when we stink.  He sent His Son in our place when we HATED him.  Before we come to know God, we are running away from Him, hating Him and His ways, even if we don’t know that’s what we are doing.  Disobeying Him shows we hated Him.  Putting things before Him shows that we hated Him.  Yet, even though we worship a TV or money or “insert name of item/gift you treasure”, HE STILL LOVED US ENOUGH TO DIE FOR US! And He made us His own children.  Even though we don’t deserve to be known as His children.  It would be like taking your worst enemy, the person who killed your child, and adopting them into your family and treating them just like your other children.  Even giving them your inheritance! That’s God’s love.  That’s real love.  Does the fake kind their selling on TV even give half this kind of promise? 

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (10)

 

Love is patient and kind; love 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. Love never ends.  (11)

Now read those last a couple of times again. Slowly.  Let’s think about this…no wrong…not insist on its own way…not irritable…not resentful…kind…patient…endures all things…WOW! Is there anyone who really thinks are living out the statement “I love you” now! Not me.  I frequently find myself irritable, moody, desiring to have things my way and no other, or even just not willing to bear with those I confess to love. But God loves us perfectly and gives us the power to work toward loving each other more like He does…

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;  and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (12)

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (13)

How can we even try to love one another?  Because He loves us! Because He gives us what we need to love one another.  Because He calls us to love one another.  Because by loving one another, He is glorified.   We have to love through others’ sin.  We have to love through our own sin.  God didn’t stop loving us because we didn’t love Him rightly, or because we rebel against Him constantly.  Instead He loved us all the more, even sacrificed His Son so that we could be brought back to Him.  Ponder it for a moment…does that kind of love allow room for us to just be unintentional? 

God really showed me a great deal through looking at the word love.  This, although long, was just a glimpse.  He showed me a lot about Himself.  He showed me a lot about my selfish heart.  He showed me about what how He calls me to live.  What has He shown you lately? I’d love to hear. 

1-1 John 4:7-12

2-Psalm 36:5

3-Lamentations 3:22-24

4-Exodus 34:6

5-Exodus 20:6

6-Isaiah 54:10

7-John 15:13

8-Romans 5:8

9-1 John 3:1-3

10-Romans 13:10

11-1 Corinthians 13:4-8

12-2 Corinthians 5:14-16

13-2 Timothy 1:7

Here are a few other verses that included the word love also.  God used each to etch a message in my heart and reminded me of the reason He chose to include it in the Bible. 

Matthew 5:44-46

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

Luke 6:32-36

 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

1 Peter 4:8-10

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Philippians 1:9-11

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

John 21:16-20

He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”  He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”  (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Galatians 5:6

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Romans 12:9-11

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

1 Corinthians 16:13-15

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

Leviticus 19:18

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Matthew 22:37-39

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Psalm 18:1-5

I love you, O LORD, my strength.
  The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
   my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
   and I am saved from my enemies.

1 John 3:18-20

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

James 2:8-10

 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.  For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

Revelation 2:4-10

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.

Hebrews 10:24

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,