Sun 9:30a Class; 10:30a Worship; 11:35a Communion
Bible Bites
Define 'Love'
“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” (Colossians 3:14)
How does one define love? Is it shaped by the culture at large? Is it a feeling that awakens within us when in the presence of the right people as a catalyst? ‘Love’ as a word seems to be a flighty, ephemeral thing nowadays. As a word, ‘love’ seems to be fluidly shaped and reshaped by the context of the moment. If one were to simply gather the transcripts of mankind’s dialogues on the subject of love, you would find yourself more confused about the topic at the end of reading than you were before.
So, I ask again: how does one define love?
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)
The timeless definition given by God universally for all mankind is to keep His commandments and to do so voluntarily and without resentment. Why would keeping God’s commandments be the definition of love? His commandments define love because “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
The church is to put on love because love is what binds us together in unity – which is another way of saying God is who unifies us. His commandments pour forth from His heart of love, and when we follow them, we allow His love to flow through us back to Him and out to our neighbor. His love feeds our love through His commands.
The Scriptures are not a burden of rules but an expression of love to a world devoid of love without Him.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
