What is Love?

heart witha penI love you. Do you? Do you know the meaning of love? The definiton has been become a watered down version of the truth. The word love has been misrepresented with lust and has been slammed to and fro like a tennis ball. Oftentimes, used at the convenience of many to get their wants and desires met.

For this session, I’m not addressing the love between a man and a woman or between friends or family. Those topics are tabled for another time. The love I am referring is between you and your Father, the Almighty God.

The Bible has one of the best interpretations of love. God is love. Love is God. That statement has been taught and imbedded in people’s minds since Sunday school. Preschoolers are taught the jingle, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so”. Now, I will like to take this opportunity to remind and/or teach on:

  • Who God is
  • What He is
  • What He ask of us
  • What He provides

Before proceeding, I will take time to express what God is not.

  • God is not the creator of all the bad events in the world.
  • God is not a heavenly Santa Claus showering gifts at the will of every whimper, whine and request.
  • God is not the executor, waiting to pass punishment on His children if they come short of His glory.
  • God is not deaf and blind with His arms crossed allowing bad things to happen to His children.
  • God is not the respecter of persons, meaning He does choose one person over another because of their self-appointed good works.
  • God is not a man. You cannot think or treat God like men on earth. Talk to Him any kind of way. You cannot manipulate or trick Him. You cannot win Him over with your devices of pity, negotiation, seductiveness, reasoning or any other tricks up your sleeves. He already knows the contents of your heart.

Who is God?

God is love. Everything about God reflects love. The love for yourself, neighbors, friends, family, spouses, and your enemies.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16King James Version (KJV)

What is God?

As you know, God is not a man, walking around on earth. He is the creator of heaven and earth. He gives life to all living things. Don’t perceive God as some gold or graven image; or a picture composed by man. God is a Spirit, His throne is in heaven, but He resides in your heart. God is a Spirit.

 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24King James Version (KJV)

What does God require of us?

Up until now, you may have agreed or been enlightened to the facts about God. What God requires of you is probably one of the hardest thing you must do. Why? Society dictates the ideas of thinking about self, pleasing self and praising self. Because of these worldly concepts, people have become self-centered and prideful. People don’t have compassionate or empathy for others. People judge on the measurements of men and not God; and are extremely hard on one another. God requires you to love one another as He loves you. This is not a Sunday school theory or something to be recited during church. This is a lifestyle you need to adapt.

 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 13:34-35King James Version (KJV)

If you say, you love God, but have animosity, hatred, unforgiveness and anger in your heart for your neighbor, brother or anyone, you don’t love God? Why? Because God is love. This fact has been ignored or quickly overlooked. How many of you all sighed loudly, rolled your eyes, sucked your tongue in their teeth or uttered. You don’t know what he or she did. I can’t love this person because… I realize there are some extreme cases of excessive abuse or horrific circumstances and love cannot be seen on the horizon. This is the time to go to God and ask for His wisdom on how to love the unlovable.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 1 John 4:20

What does God provide?

God’s provisions are endless. He provides light in dark places. He protects, comforts, guides, leads and teaches. God can be everything to everyone who asks. He performs tasks far beyond mortal man. God can do the unattainable and the unimaginable. God can provide you with your impossible dream.

And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Luke 18:27King James Version (KJV)

Avenues of Awareness 

Reflection Road

  • Have you said, I love God? But, you can produce a list of people you dislike, hate,  or despise? From reading the above, do you really love God?
  • Have you read about people who experienced a terrible encounter by a specific person, but was able to forgive and release their hatred? How do you think they did it?
  • Why do you continue to have hatred or extreme dislike in your heart? Stubbornness? Pride? Control? Pain? I am here to tell you, for whatever reason you have, it is a necessity for you to release it. Once it is dispelled, there will be a flow of relief and freedom.

Devil’s Drive

The devil is a liar. He will attempt to convince you to have reasons to hate. Or not to love. I realize there are groups of people who have committed ungodly and horrible things. Go to God for assistance. One way to begin, is realize who is orchestrating these people. The “who” behind these people and their acts is Satan? He uses anything or anyone to do his wicked works. Satan has brainwashed and influenced these people to do wicked things. Let’s hate the true source.

World’s Way

Love your neighbor is a joke to the world. Hate your neighbor, be envious, jealous, is more like it. The world’s way does not align with God’s way.

Personal Pathway

Love the person; hate the sin. That is how I look at situations where it would be easy NOT to love my neighbor. Years ago, I had this supervisor. She was controlling, bossy and judgmental. I was the assistant supervisor and had to work closely with her. One day, she invited me to her house for dinner. I realized why she acted the way she did. She was married with 3 strong willed sons. Her husband ran the household with the iron fist. He dominated and belittled her. Her sons were hard headed and disobedient to her. The husband reprimanded the sons, and they did not listen to her. She had no voice at home. So, at work she made sure her voice was heard. I don’t want to indicate this justified her actions, but it allowed me to have empathy for her and to pray for her.

Lord’s Lane

God is not a man.

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19King James Version (KJV)

God can provide light and can protect.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11King James Version (KJV)

God is our Almighty Father in heaven.

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Matthew 6:9King James Version (KJV)

God is truth and all His works are perfect.

 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. Deuteronomy 32:4King James Version (KJV)

X