What is Love?

Love seems to be a strange word anymore. I often wonder if the word love has become the new word for hate. It seems that everyone has a definition or an excuse to their meaning of love. Other’s have a weird way of expressing love through emotions. Often times those emotions of love don’t express the love that should be shown.  I have even heard all kinds of excuses from many who want to take the word of God and translate it to their own definition of what love is. Its bad enough they want to use it for an excuse or for a reason to sin. Love has tested me here lately, especially when someone hits an old deep wound from the past.  I did what I thought was best in expressing how I see hate working today.  My problem is sometimes I see things so differently it causes problems for me in trying to get a point across.  It’s so bad the illustrations I want to give are weird or strange, let alone trying to write it down for a message or even to speak out the right words correctly. Often times it doesn’t make sense in what I am trying to express. Today, hate is on the move in a mighty way in what I would like to call “hate being traded for hate” instead of love overcoming hate. When this happens love ultimately gets blocked.
Now, the word of God tells us this about love. 1Co 13:4-8 “4) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily  provoked, thinketh no evil; 6) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8)  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” Paul here was actually describing just the kind of love Jesus was trying poured out into us, so we could spread it to others.

Peter describes what Jesus’ love was to be like. 1Peter 4:8 “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”

Jesus himself describes what love was all about and how we were to work love back into society in these two passages: Mat 22:37-40 “37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38) This is the first and great commandment. 39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Jesus also said this in Mat 5:44-45 “44) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45) That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

I don’t know about anybody else, but I really do see hate being traded for hate. I also see that love gets challenged on a daily basis. I have learned what Jesus was saying about how we will be hated for his name sake Mat 10:22 “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” The reason is because Jesus’ name represents love. It’s an everlasting love that never quits. It’s a love that not only removes sin, but it’s a love that can change a sinful heart to a heart that wants to get it right. We have to understand hate doesn’t change hate, but love can.

Stop and think about Jesus’ journey from the whipping post to the cross. He could have expressed hate back for hate, but he didn’t. It just wasn’t only the religious sect that wanted him to go to the cross. This included all those who wanted to sin and to keep on being sinners or at least be partakers of it. Yes, this means all types of sins. We can find those kind of sins in Gal 5:19-21 “19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” and other places, too.

I said this to help us understand something. Jesus was up there on that cross looking back down at all these kinds of people and was even thinking about the future generation that hasn’t arrived yet up to the day he comes back for us. He never showed hate. Jesus used very good parables to express how filthy sin was, but he never let hate override his love and compassion he had for us.  If this wasn’t true John 3:15-17 would have been done in vain. Let alone what he said on the cross Luke 23:34 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”

Let’s remind ourselves what John 3:15-17 tell us “15) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” This also describes a love that goes way beyond hate. Here’s another reminder of true love that overshadows hate Mat 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” along with Mark 1:15 “And  saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Jesus understood hate, but again, he knew it would take love to get us to repent from the sins that we’re involved in.

Let’s close out with this thought in mind. Each and everyone one of us has a history of some kind of hate that has taken place. No one’s hate is worse than the other because we all have a different personality and how hate affects each one of us, but the truth is hate doesn’t accomplish love, but the power of Jesus’ love working through us overcomes hate and brings in love. The Lord showed me this through my back surgery. He used the illustration everybody has a different tolerance of pain in different parts of the body, but each one of us had to deal with pain, whether it be mild to you or major to another and vice versa.  Love and hate is the same. Where someone can love, some can’t and where others can love, you can’t, but we all experience love and hate. We all know that love really conquers, but sometimes we don’t apply it very well. 

If we truly believe in the scripture, we will believe we can overcome our weakness not only in love or hate, but in any other areas of life by letting Jesus’ love strengthen us.  Cor 12:9-10   9) And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” and Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

My prayers are that you receive this with love and my hope is that the love of Jesus will work through us to help change what is going on and bring the Lord’s love back into place where it belongs.

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