Do all things out of love. But what is love?

As Christians we are called to do everything out of love. But what is love? How do we define love? Is it based on our emotions or is it more than that? When we think of love what comes to our minds? Fluffy bunnies and pink hearts? Is it something only women understand? How do we define love?

   One thing that is clear is that if God went as far as calling Himself love it is not merely a subject, concept or word that can be skimmed over. It is time to go back to the One called Love in order to define it. Jesus is our perfect example of what love should look like. As I went through some of the verses in the bible that talked about love, two particular words stood out repetitively, one was “Divine” and the other is “Sacrificial” (Luke 6:27). Jesus used these words to describe love. Are these the first two words that come to your mind when the word love is mentioned? Using only these two words the concept of love can be boldly stated as simple.

   God is love therefore love is divine. Love is holy and righteous. Love does not cause or tempt you to sin but empowers you to turn away from it. You have heard it described commonly as being patient, kind, and not prideful (1 Corinthians 13:4), obvious characteristics of our Lord Jesus. Love is a manifestation of our God living in us.

   There is no greater love than to lay down your life for another man (John 15:13). This is the selfless/sacrificial nature of love. It causes you to not think of your own well being, but the well being of others. Jesus understood this fully and made it His weapon. I do not mean this metaphorically, love was and is Jesus’ main weapon. It was a concept the devil did not understand and as a result Jesus' love for man conquered the devil and the separation between man and God. This forces us to think about love in a new way. Love is not as fluffy as society has made it out to be. Love is a lion that will devour and destroy anything that is evil. It does not fail and never gives up. Its' concern is for others, that they will be edified, made whole, and not torn down. It will take a beating, and not lose faith. It will never stand down. Love will go through the darkest pits and the most dangerous places to bring light. It does not bring fluff, but tangible hope.

   With all this said what is the definition of love? To us, love is the manifestation of God living in us. To God, it is His very nature.