Ours, is a day where the word “Love” is tossed about loosely. We love burgers and fries (umm). We love ice-cream (yummy), cake, pets, movies and actors. We even sang with the Coronel, “I love my chicken finger-lickin’ good.” We’ve seen love-story movies, read romantic novels, and have listened to Silly Love Songs (Paul McCartney); not exactly God’s definition of love.
The Word of God encourages us many times over to “Love our enemies;” to love those who wrongfully accuse us” and to “love one another” (Matthew 5:44; John 13:34,35).
1John 4:20 reads: “If someone says, ‘I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother who he has seen, cannot love God whom he has never seen.” Obviously, God is interested in us loving others according to His word and not according to the ways of men.
Jesus taught us that the greatest commandment is to “Love God with all our hearts, all our souls, and with all our minds” (Deuteronomy 6:4,5; Mark 12:29-30).
According to a quote by R.A. Torrey (1856-1928),
“If loving God with all our heart and soul and might is the greatest commandment, then it follows that Not loving Him that way is the greatest sin.”
In our thinking of what constitutes a life that pleases God, the one thing we should be most concerned with is: “Have I loved well?” St. John of the Cross once said; “At the evening of our day we shall be judged by our loving.”
Author Ken Gire challenges us to include God’s love in every aspect of our lives on a daily fashion. Do others see that? He asks, “Have I loved well?” Only we can answer that.
I ask, “Has God loved well?” His love is wrapped in another word found in the following verse: “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord: O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. Gracious is the LORD, and righteous: yea, our God is merciful” (Psalm 116:3-5KJV).
Our loving God is a Gracious God. His love is wrapped in grace! He has loved well!
*Ken Gire, Winter’s Promise: Hope-Filled Reflections for the Difficult Seasons
God Bless!
Sam
Originally written and shared with my church on March 16, 2005