After spending yesterday with my parents, celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary, I have been thinking a lot about love. Obviously, to have a marriage that has withstood trials, hardships, and just the test of time, there is a lot of love there.
And, while I know there are other things that have contributed to the long life of their marriage, (I got some great advice from the happy couple. Be sure to check back to see what it is…), one of the most visible characteristics is love.
What is Love?
In the back of my Life Application Bible, the definition for love is strong affection, desire, or devotion. It is also defined as a genuine and selfless concern for the well-being of others.
According to Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth,
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
After a quick search for Bible verses to read at a wedding, this passage came up on every website I clicked on. I believe there is a reason this is so popular. It lists the traits of love that serve as guidelines for what that should look like in the life of a Christian.
But, in order to know what it looks like for us to love, we need to go to the ultimate authority on the subject: God.
How Does God Love?
Deeply, fully, eternally.
There are so many verses about God’s love for us. As I write, they keep popping into my head and a whole list of hymn titles is scrolling through my brain…
One of the biggest ways he showed it was by sending us Jesus to save us all.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
God shows us mercy and grace when we don’t deserve it. But, with repentance and forgiveness, He gives it to us again and again.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 2:4-5
And, we know that we can trust Him to continue loving us in all situations and at all times.
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
Deuteronomy 7:9
God has provided some very large shoes for us to step into. Never can we even come close to filling them, but we certainly have been given some guidance if we look into our Bibles.
How Should We Love?
We have been given many instructions in the Bible. (Check out my post, A Father’s Rules, for some more examples.) Quite a few of those instructions give us guidelines about how we are to love. In fact, Jesus’ two greatest commandments in Matthew 22 were:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (v. 37)
and
Love your neighbor as yourself. (v. 39)
Many times, Jesus spoke of the importance of Loving One Another. One of my favorites is this one from John.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35
So, if we follow his instructions and commands, we should really have no problem with the whole relationship thing. Right??
But, we are humans – with sinful natures. That means these commandments aren’t always so easy to follow. As much as I want to love everybody, (and I try really hard), I know I don’t even come close to the way Jesus loves everyone. (I’m thinking I need to try even harder…)
Peter also gives a really good argument for loving one another –
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8
If just loving each other deeply can cover over sins we commit in relationships, I am reminded of how amazing God is and His wonderful grace. Just imagine how deep God’s love is for us if it can cover over all the sins we have ever committed in our entire lives!
(I am currently reading an amazing book by Max Lucado entitled, In the Grip of Grace. Although I’m only about halfway through, I definitely recommend it to everyone. I’ll give a full report once I have finished. You can check it out here…)
Love Always…
So, the ultimate authority gave us the best example of how to love. And, Jesus shared many times in different ways how we should be loving to one another. He then went on to demonstrate the greatest way we can show our love –
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13
While my parents, in their 49 years of marriage, have not physically laid down their lives for each other, they have definitely made sacrifices and laid down their individual wants and needs for the other. They have practiced sacrificial love for each other by listening, helping, and encouraging each other.
In the end, I believe that’s what God calls us to do in order to Truly Love One Another. Not just when it’s convenient for us, but all the time.
That is certainly challenging, but definitely the most rewarding in the end.
Your Thoughts?
So, what do you think? What verses about God’s love give you encouragement? There are a lot more than I wrote here that show different parts of God’s character. I would love to hear about the verses you have found about how we should love as well. I can’t wait to hear from you all!
