What is true love? It’s easy to think about love. We see it in movies, we read about it, we see it between others, we feel it for someone, and we long for them to feel it back. Most people can think of several things that they love. Maybe it’s ice cream, vacation, the taste of a good meal, the peace of being outdoors, or something else. Perhaps you even love an object, like a child loves a toy or an adult loves a house, vehicle, or trinket.
But typically there is a whole new level of love. Most of the time that love is not the ‘what’, it’s the ‘who’. You may love a trinket, but you love it mostly because it’s a memory token given to you by a loved one who has passed. You may love a gift, but the significance is mostly because the giver loved you enough to give it to you. You may love children, but you know that you would give anything for your own child.
Many times when the word ‘love’ is mentioned, it’s assumed we are talking about a romantic love. Often times this love can be so intoxicating that we forego our schedules, disrupt our friendships, and even change our whole priority list based on love. When we feel that kind of love for another, often times we throw caution to the wind. This type of love is regarded so highly that we can justify even the silliest of decisions. But that love feels so good. It makes us feel warm and safe. Sometimes it makes us feel complete.
There is an even higher form of love than these. Even the strongest form of romantic love isn’t the highest. The unconditional love of a parent sacrificing themselves to protect their child isn’t the highest. Believe it or not, no matter how loving you are, you are the recipient of the highest form of love.
When our Creator God formed this universe, it was out of love. He crafted our entire universe as a model of his splendor and glory. Every single thing about the world we sit in today reflects God’s love for us. No matter how much love we have, it is only a fraction of the love God has. Imagine every created thing, every circumstance, and every good thing was a gift from him. He loves us so much that he wants us to spend eternity with Him in heaven.
God’s love goes even farther. He took a part of himself, his son Jesus, and sent him to earth. The purpose was this: He loved you so much that he sent his son to Earth to pay for your sins. He knew that Jesus would be killed for this. He knowingly sacrificed his own son for you and for me. Jesus came and lived a sinless life. He didn’t deserve to die. But because you and I do deserve eternal death in hell, Jesus sacrificed himself for us.
That’s love. God sacrificed a perfect son. Jesus lived a sinless life, despite being tempted just like you and I are. All this was done so that hopefully, possibly, we could spend eternity in heaven. He made the sacrifice, we just have to confess and believe. He just wants us to love him back.
Not just any kind of love. Not the ‘love of a friend’ love, not the ‘puppy love’ of a new relationship, not even the love of a child. Even in some of the earliest books of the Bible God tells us what kind of love we should strive for. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 says: …The Lord our God. The Lord is the one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
He gave it all, now he wants us to.
All of our heart means a committed love. All our soul means even when we are weary or beaten down, keep loving. All our might means every bit of toughness, effort, and energy needs to be used to love Him.
If you want to love Him more, here are two prayers to help.
Dear Heavenly Father,Thank you for your gift of Jesus. Thank you for loving me so much that you sent him to die for sins I committed. I believe in you Lord, and I want to return that love. I love you with all my heart, soul, and might. When I’m tempted, I’ll love you. When I’m weary, I’ll love you. When I’m sad, I’ll love you. When I’m lonely, I’ll love you. When I work, I’ll love you. When I play, I’ll love you.Fill me up with your love, so that my cup runs over. Let my mouth, heart, actions, and attitude all pour out love to you. Blessed be Your name, amen.Loving Father,You are Love. Thank you for all the blessings you so freely pour out all around me. I love you Lord and I lift my voice to worship you.Help my words, my actions, my intentions, and my attitude be so obvious to others that they know I’m full of your love. I commit to loving you with all that I am. I will love you and praise you in good times and bad. I will share your love with others. I will be an example of you.I believe in your son Jesus, and thank you for sending him to save my soul. May your name be always on my lips. I will love you even until my last breath. Thank you Father, amen.