1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 4:15-16,18-21
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him…..There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
What is love? How would you define this word to a child? The Bible says God is love, but what does that really mean? Is it a feeling or state of being or something you are in and out of? Is love at first sight or does it take time? Can you love an object more than a person? It’s a complicated phenomenon this thing called love. Songs are written about it, stories are based on it, and our lives revolve around it. Love can be described as affection or devotion to someone or something. Love can make you feel things you have never felt before and it can make you do things you normally wouldn’t do, good or bad. I’m not just talking about love between a man and woman. Love has different faces. The way a mother loves her child is different than the way she loves her husband or father or sister or even her fancy new dress. We can love as many people and as many objects as we desire.
Though love may wear different faces, the source of it is the same. I John 4 says that God is love and the one who abides in love abides in God. We have to make something clear. God is specific about His kind of love. His love casts out fear. His love does not lie or hate someone else. His love protects, forgives, and provides (1 Corinthians 13). Our sinful nature has twisted love into things it was never meant to be. When we love like God, we love the right way and everyone benefits. Yet, we have a tendency to fall in love with the wrong things if we are not careful. Love isn’t something that just happens. You may love someone without making it happen, but how you act out of that love is entirely up to you. God does warn us that there are certain things we can’t fall in love with: this world. He makes it clear what it is in this world we cannot love. 1 John says that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and our pride make us love this world more than the things of God. Our desires and passions are good, but not if they become idols. Not if they make us think we are more superior or deserving than we truly are. That’s how we get entrapped in this world and start to fall in love with all it offers. We start believing we deserve certain things or need them to survive to have a better life. We think we need to live a certain way to truly be fulfilled. Please don’t misunderstand me. You can enjoy your possessions, you gadgets, your vacations, and your latte every morning. That’s not what this is about. That’s not what scripture is saying. God knows all about love and how it works. It’s because of love that He did incredible and kind of crazy things. His love for you and me drove Him to sacrifice His perfect Son so we could have life. His love kept the Israelites wandering for forty years to mold them into His people. His love allowed the disciples to perform outrageous miracles. That same love allowed some of those same disciples to be beaten and beheaded. Does any of this make sense to you? Honestly, I know the stories and know they are true, but what kind of love sacrifices your own flesh for those who are selfish? If love can make the God of the universe do crazy things, what affect will it have on us? Here’s the catch though. Love doesn’t control God. He is love and therefore everything He does, sacrifice or chastening, He does for the purpose of good. We are not God and we are not love. What we have as believers is the Holy Spirit who helps us, if we yield to Him, to live out love in our actions and our speech. If we love God, we act on His behalf. If we love the World, we act on its behalf.
The bottom line is that when we love our spouses and our families, we will do just about anything for them, even crazy things. And usually it’s all good crazy things for them and for their benefit. That’s how God wants us to love people, with crazy, good, and wild love. The problem is that we start to love this world that same way and God knows how dangerous that can be. When we love this world, our love becomes distorted and usually very selfish. We start to love ourselves more and all of sudden love is unkind, or proud, or angry. The offers of this world are temporary and fading and God wants to protect our love and our lives. Whenever He says ‘No’ to something, it’s always for our protection and for our good. I think you would agree that Love is all things mentioned above. Yes, it can be love at first sight or love that takes many years. It is a state of being and a feeling. Some believe you can fall in and out love. I fall in and out love with TV shows many times! Love is definitely a choice, always. God chose to love us. You choose everyday to love your family. You choose everyday to love God. Our choices and actions demonstrate what and who we love. The cross is a visual reminder of who Jesus loves. It’s a reminder of who and how we are to love. God is love and my desire is to fall in love with Him every day until He comes for me and takes me to the world I can love. It’s okay to love crazy, to love wild, and to express it as long as we what we love, is what God loves.
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 4:15-16,18-21
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him…..There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
What is love? How would you define this word to a child? The Bible says God is love, but what does that really mean? Is it a feeling or state of being or something you are in and out of? Is love at first sight or does it take time? Can you love an object more than a person? It’s a complicated phenomenon this thing called love. Songs are written about it, stories are based on it, and our lives revolve around it. Love can be described as affection or devotion to someone or something. Love can make you feel things you have never felt before and it can make you do things you normally wouldn’t do, good or bad. I’m not just talking about love between a man and woman. Love has different faces. The way a mother loves her child is different than the way she loves her husband or father or sister or even her fancy new dress. We can love as many people and as many objects as we desire.
Though love may wear different faces, the source of it is the same. I John 4 says that God is love and the one who abides in love abides in God. We have to make something clear. God is specific about His kind of love. His love casts out fear. His love does not lie or hate someone else. His love protects, forgives, and provides (1 Corinthians 13). Our sinful nature has twisted love into things it was never meant to be. When we love like God, we love the right way and everyone benefits. Yet, we have a tendency to fall in love with the wrong things if we are not careful. Love isn’t something that just happens. You may love someone without making it happen, but how you act out of that love is entirely up to you. God does warn us that there are certain things we can’t fall in love with: this world. He makes it clear what it is in this world we cannot love. 1 John says that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and our pride make us love this world more than the things of God. Our desires and passions are good, but not if they become idols. Not if they make us think we are more superior or deserving than we truly are. That’s how we get entrapped in this world and start to fall in love with all it offers. We start believing we deserve certain things or need them to survive to have a better life. We think we need to live a certain way to truly be fulfilled. Please don’t misunderstand me. You can enjoy your possessions, you gadgets, your vacations, and your latte every morning. That’s not what this is about. That’s not what scripture is saying. God knows all about love and how it works. It’s because of love that He did incredible and kind of crazy things. His love for you and me drove Him to sacrifice His perfect Son so we could have life. His love kept the Israelites wandering for forty years to mold them into His people. His love allowed the disciples to perform outrageous miracles. That same love allowed some of those same disciples to be beaten and beheaded. Does any of this make sense to you? Honestly, I know the stories and know they are true, but what kind of love sacrifices your own flesh for those who are selfish? If love can make the God of the universe do crazy things, what affect will it have on us? Here’s the catch though. Love doesn’t control God. He is love and therefore everything He does, sacrifice or chastening, He does for the purpose of good. We are not God and we are not love. What we have as believers is the Holy Spirit who helps us, if we yield to Him, to live out love in our actions and our speech. If we love God, we act on His behalf. If we love the World, we act on its behalf.
The bottom line is that when we love our spouses and our families, we will do just about anything for them, even crazy things. And usually it’s all good crazy things for them and for their benefit. That’s how God wants us to love people, with crazy, good, and wild love. The problem is that we start to love this world that same way and God knows how dangerous that can be. When we love this world, our love becomes distorted and usually very selfish. We start to love ourselves more and all of sudden love is unkind, or proud, or angry. The offers of this world are temporary and fading and God wants to protect our love and our lives. Whenever He says ‘No’ to something, it’s always for our protection and for our good. I think you would agree that Love is all things mentioned above. Yes, it can be love at first sight or love that takes many years. It is a state of being and a feeling. Some believe you can fall in and out love. I fall in and out love with TV shows many times! Love is definitely a choice, always. God chose to love us. You choose everyday to love your family. You choose everyday to love God. Our choices and actions demonstrate what and who we love. The cross is a visual reminder of who Jesus loves. It’s a reminder of who and how we are to love. God is love and my desire is to fall in love with Him every day until He comes for me and takes me to the world I can love. It’s okay to love crazy, to love wild, and to express it as long as we what we love, is what God loves.
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.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
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