What is Love?



For many, Valentine's Day is a pain in the butt, a disappointment, another opportunity to waste money. Well, we aren’t necessarily taking that issue on today.  
What we want to talk about is an aspect of love that is often portrayed in Valentine’s Day.
You better listen to the audio to hear about Syler’s first love story. It is worth a good laugh. Matthew has an awkward story as well. I’m guessing many of us do.

Do you remember your first relationship? Do you remember when you first “fell in love?”
So, what is love?

Love has already been defined for us in the Scriptures and we need to bring that reality into our relationships. The Bible has more verses in it than only the famous love chapter found in 1 Corinthians (13). The verses that come to Matthew’s mind are 1 John 4:19 which states, “We love because he first loved us” and John 15:13 which states, “Greater love has no man than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends". Love is continually marked by sacrifice. More than just a box of chocolates.

Syler’s working definition of love is summed up by “It’s a choice.” What he means by that is God chooses to love us and out of that choice comes all of his actions… creation and redemption etc.
So is love choice or a response? Do you think it matters if someone chooses or responds?
2 John 6- "This is love, that we walk according to his commands; this is the commandment, as you have heard it from the beginning, that you walk in it."

Our worldview has a significant impact on what love is and how we play it out. In some regard, everyone loves, but a Christian holds a deeper love because of the understanding of sin and the hope for a sinner. Within this, love is far more than the temporary trappings of Valentine's Day gifts. Real love acknowledges sin and brokenness and walks through it pointing each other to Jesus. Jesus is the one who showed us love, saving us when we were his enemies. This is the kind of love that will walk us through difficult situations. This love is long term and survives all kinds of storms. 

Love has to be a choice to respond to God since he first loved us.

Love has to be unconditional. That means it is a committed love no matter what the situation. There is no condition to get you into it so there is no condition to get out of it. 


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