As part of contemporary societal norms, people freely use, or, perhaps, overuse, the term love for a multitude of things. In fact, it often seems as if the word love rolls off the tongue. For example, “I love coffee!” “I love chocolate!” “Boy, I loved the movie!” Unfortunately, the proliferation of the word love has watered-down its truest meaning. Therefore, with God’s Word as our guide and Jesus as our role model, let us explore the many faces of love.
What Is Love?
According to the First Letter of John, love is action in its truest form. The letter states, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18, NIV) (bold and italics added for emphasis). Notice, love’s meaning or purpose is not merely a word to be uttered. Not at all. Instead, God intends for love to take the form of visible, tangible, and sincere action.
Scripture’s Greatest Example of Love in Action
First and foremost, God is love (1 John 4:16, NIV). As the Creator, God knows His children cannot literally see Him. People can, however, witness His love through the life of His Son, Jesus. The First Letter of John affirms this notion by explaining, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10, NIV). Therefore, Scripture’s greatest example of love in action is the life and death of Jesus Christ.
God’s Word as a Road Map of Love in Action
Perhaps one of the most popular verses in God’s Word, often used as a road map of love in action, comes from the Book of 1 Corinthians. According to Paul the Apostle, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV). Now, let us examine these descriptors through the lens of Jesus’s example in a contemporary world.
Patient Instead of Easily Angered
According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, a person is considered patient when they lovingly withstand pains and trials calmly and without complaint. In addition, regardless of the adversity, the individual remains steadfast in their resolve. I believe mankind would be hard pressed to find a better example of patient love than Jesus Christ. Despite indescribable pain and suffering as a result of flogging and crucifixion, Christ never complained. Instead, He remained steadfast in His purpose to serve as the Sacrificial Lamb for the forgiveness of our sins.
Reflecting on your life up to this point, do you recall moments when you became easily frustrated with someone? Did you exercise patience and keep your feelings to yourself? Did you lash out at the other person and say something in the heat of the moment only to find yourself regretting it later? In truth, we are all guilty of letting our emotions hijack our rational side from time to time. Why? We are humans who make mistakes. The Creator understands this and loves us anyway because He is love. That is why it is important to ground ourselves in His Word and seek to emulate how He loves.
Kind
At this point, we must establish a clear distinction between the terms kind and nice. Why? People frequently use these words interchangeably. However, they do not hold the same meaning. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, when a person is considered nice, they are viewed as doing something pleasing or agreeable to others. However, when an individual does something helpful to others from a place of benevolence, they are kind.
Since nice and kind often serve as substitutions for one another, let us take a moment to illustrate the difference. In previous posts, I have shared with you how my sister, Becky, experienced bullying because of her physical disability (also check out The Unsuspecting Hero). If someone witnessed this and told her she should not be treated this way, the person is being nice in the midst of a hurtful situation. Conversely, if another witness to the bullying stood up and defended my sister, that person is being kind.
Jesus’s message on extending kindness to everyone, including bullies, is clear. Scripture records Him saying, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28, NIV).
Not Envious
God’s Word affirms true love does not envy others and what they possess. According to Paul the Apostle, envy is dangerous and considered an “act of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21, NIV). He goes on to warn, “Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21, NIV).
Here is another way of viewing envy’s harmfulness. The Creator provides His children with countless blessings, or divine gifts. According to the Book of James, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17, NIV). Paul the Apostle affirms this when he says, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, NIV).
Essentially, all we have, as well as who we are, has been gifted to us by God for the unique purposes He has planned for each one of us. Now, imagine taking a great deal of care in picking out a gift especially for someone. You are pleased with your choice and cannot wait for them to open it. However, when the time comes, you realize the recipient’s reaction is nothing short of lackluster. They appear genuinely disappointed. Instead of appreciating your special gift, they look at someone else’s, wishing it was theirs. How would that make you feel? Then, how do you think it makes God feel when His children do that with all He has given them?
Not Focused on Elevating Oneself at the Expense of Others
When Paul the Apostle provides a road map of love in action, he elaborates on what love is and is not. Why is this distinction important? Quite simply, people are perfectly imperfect, and we function best with clear expectations.
If you take a moment to examine what Paul says is not love (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV), you will notice all of the descriptors focus on when individuals attempt to elevate their own importance at the expense of others. For example, when people brag about their accomplishments and exhibit excessively high opinions of themselves (i.e., proud), they are attempting to elevate their level of importance in relation to their peers. Another way of minimizing someone’s inherent value is to continually rehash their mistakes (i.e., keeping a record of wrongs). Essentially, when a person is self-seeking and overlooking others’ needs, this is not pleasing to God (Romans 8:8, NCB).
Powerful Examples of Jesus’s Words and Love in Action
Looking to Jesus’s example of love in action, He healed many but never sought recognition for Himself in an attempt to elevate His importance. Instead, Jesus always made sure to give all the glory to God. In addition to Christ’s example, Scripture teaches us “For God does not show favoritism” (Romans 2:11, NIV).
Instead of focusing on others’ sins, we should forgive. Jesus cautions, “So watch yourselves. ‘If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them” (Luke 17:3-4, NIV) (bold and italics added for emphasis).
When faced with those who showed no remorse, Jesus also demonstrates forgiveness. At His crucifixion, Jesus does this when He says, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34, NIV). Wow! How many perfectly imperfect people could do this with the same level of love and grace? What a genuinely powerful role model we have in Jesus!
What Love Always Does
In his detailed description of love, Paul unequivocally states what love always does, and these are things for which God’s children should strive throughout their lives. Love will always protect, just like Jesus acts on behalf of the Father to keep His children safe from evil (1 John 5:18, NIV). Throughout Scripture, God’s children are reminded to not be afraid because we can always trust the Father and Son. Why? According to 1 John 4:18 (NIV), “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear….” Love always hopes, just like Abraham never lost hope in God’s promises, despite his old age (Romans 4:18-21, NIV). Love will always persevere. Why? Love never fails. Ever. Thanks be to God!
Why Does All of This Matter?
Harkening back to Paul the Apostle’s road map of love in action, he reminds us of the irreplaceable, indispensable nature of love. As Paul explains, eventually everything in life fades away. However, three essentials remain: faith, hope, and love. Above all else, Apostle Paul affirms, “But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV).
Scripture records other followers of Christ conveying their own ideas about love. In fact, the First Letter of John expands upon Paul the Apostle’s message and serves as a rallying cry for all believers in Jesus Christ. According to 1 John 4:11 (NIV), “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” As perfectly imperfect people, this standard for loving others might seem difficult at the very least at different points in life. However, the apostles and other followers of Christ, who were also perfectly imperfect in their own ways, still sought to live lives full of love in action. Therefore, we can, too!
Now that we have explored what fallible people have said about love in action, let us end with the Greatest Role Model of All Time…Jesus, and what He has to teach us about love. He says, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV) (bold and italics added for emphasis). Essentially, love is paramount to living a faith-filled, Christ-centered life, and that is precisely why this message matters.
Closing Thoughts and a Call to Action
In today’s world, people often casually use the word love for a myriad of things. Unfortunately, overusing the term love has watered-down its truest meaning. However, through careful study, examination, and contemplation of Scripture, as well as following Jesus’s example of love in action, God’s children, including you dear friend, will encounter and come to know the many faces of love. Only then will God’s love in action proliferate throughout the world. How will you extend God’s love in action today?
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Acknowledgements:
The feature image was taken by Porapak Apichodilok on Pexels.com.