Love is More than a Feeling!
For a word that we use so often, love is a very difficult word for us to define. The dictionary reveals that the word ‘love’ is both a noun and a verb. It has eleven different definitions, so we can understand that it covers a wide range of different types of love. First and foremost we need to realize that God is love. This means that God is love personified. God reflects love in its perfect state. We cannot get more real in understanding and knowing love except by knowing God. The love of God is unconditional, which means that it does not depend on how the other party responds, whether love is accepted or rejected. The love of God is also a love that extends into eternity. This means that the love of God has no ending. Once you enter into the love of God, you have an endless journey to experience and look forward to. But that may seem like a problem, since our lifespan is limited to our time on earth. But the great thing about the love of God is that it continues into eternity, even as those who love the Lord, join Him in His presence after they leave this earth.
Our Scripture Text for this Morning is: Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus told them, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is exactly like it: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Now for us to totally grasp what love is about we need to take the God type of Love and break it down. Sadly, man has his own interpretation of love and that differs much from the God type of love. By the way, the God Love is called Agape Love, and the human type of love is called Phileo love. We tend to love only when we can get something out of it. We love on certain conditions. We love when it best suits us and our understanding of the situation. We love when it feels right! Today, I want you to understand that true love goes much deeper than feelings, it is a deep seated desire that propels a person to do things that he or she would not ordinarily do. It moves a person to act somewhat out of character. Love seems to dictate, manipulate and control the situation. It is as though the person in question becomes like a puppet and is controlled by another force or thing. But like I mentioned earlier, our love is dependent on many factors. If those factors do not go the way we expect, we pull back and we terminate the love connection.
The love of God on the other hand is never terminated. We may disregard it, ignore it, avoid it, or even deny it, but it is always available and always present to every individual on the face of the earth. It does not matter whether you believe that God exists or not, whether you are independent or not, whether you are rich or poor, crippled or whole, the love of God is extended to every individual that opens their eyes as a little babe on the face of the earth. We may all face different situations, circumstances, trials, persecutions and challenges but we all encounter the exact same love of God. We may not appreciate the fact that God can love individuals that are opinionated, sophisticated, arrogant, wicked or evil but the truth is that God’s love permeates every heart that beats in the earth. God does not judge us for the way we are, however, He will judge us for the way we finish. From now to the finish point we are surrounded by His love and compassion.
We need to realize that love which does not lead to action, is simply not love at all. We see this illustration plainly in the text found in John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his unique Son so that everyone who believes in him might not be lost but have eternal life.” God’s love compelled Him into action in that He gave His only Son to all of humanity. Love in its simplest form does not hold back but gives. When people say that they love but refuse to give, that is a sign of hypocrisy. Love compels one to give all that is possible. Love does not hold back and does not try to get away with cheap methods. Love gives all and refuses to hold back from… “Love in its self is always patient and is always kind. Love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is love conceited, and love is never rude; love never thinks just of itself or even gets annoyed. Love is never resentful; and is never glad with sin; love always sides with the truth, and is pleased that truth will win. Love bears up under everything; it believes the best in all; there is no limit to love’s hope, love never fails.” [1 Corinthians 13:4-8].
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