Love. Luv. Heart. We write it a variety of ways. We use the word in a variety of settings, with a variety of meanings. We toss the word around carefreely and without much thought. We love a lot of stuff, movies, food, teams, events, songs, groups, actors, parents, kids, spouses, friends. The list is endless. But the level of love isn't always the same.
The flippant usage of love, I think, has caused us in our culture today to minimize its meaning and thus affect our behavior. I hear people talking about falling in and out of love all the time. We talk about "making love" when what we mean is "having sex." The physical act of sex doesn't require love. But a true love between a couple will lead to physical intimacy.
With all the confusion about love today, it has become evident to me that many people do not really know what love means. It's hard for some people today to understand God's unconditional love for them with all the using and abusing that goes on in today's relationships. It's also just as hard for some to understand what loving God is all about. They love God like He's a menu item. They keep ordering Him until the winds of change blow and their palate take them elsewhere.
Living in God's love is hard for many to grasp. As one studies Jesus, one can begin to sense His compassion and caring and self-sacrifice for people, for oneself. Jesus came to demonstrate God's love in practical terms. He allowed us to experience Himself in the flesh through Jesus; to be touched by Jesus, embraced by Jesus. We can look into His eyes and see His genuine love for us.
As you truly experience God's love through Jesus, it becomes only natural and appropriate for us to respond to His love in the same way He loved us, to open up our lives and actions to Him. Loving and being loved by Jesus brings a unique joy, happiness, contentment that overflows into the life of others. How cool is it to say that you are friends with the creator of the universe?
God, I do love you. Sometimes I allow our relationship to grow stale. I fail to live in your love and then find myself doing hand-to-hand combat with the world or my environment. Renew my joy as I draw into you. Allow our love for each other to overflow into the lives of others that they may experience our love, your love.
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