“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16 ESV)

The World’s Definition of Love

It has been said that you can learn what a culture believes about almost anything by listening to the songs it sings. Consider the following titles from American love songs over the years. You’ve probably heard some of them—and when you read the titles, you might even remember some of the lyrics:

• Everybody Loves My Baby (1924)

• Love Me Tender (1956)

• To Know Him Is to Love Him (1958)

• Baby Love (1964)

• You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling (1965)

• I Think I Love You (1970)

• Love Hangover (1976)

• What’s Love Got to Do with It? (1984)

• Justify My Love (1991)

• Crazy in Love (2003)

• We Found Love (2011)

• Love Lies (2017)

• The End of Love (2018)

With so many mixed messages about love, it’s no wonder there’s confusion about what love truly is. The truth is, human definitions of love often fall short. But the Bible gives us the true and timeless definition.

The Bible’s Definition of Love

“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 Cor. 13:4–8 NIV)

God Alone Is the Source of Love

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7–8 NIV)

God Is Love

God does not merely have love—He is love. Everything He does flows from His love.

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8 ESV)

God’s Kind of Love

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1 ESV)

He Shows His Love for Us

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8 ESV)

Therefore

God’s love is not a fleeting emotion or a passing feeling—it is eternal, unchanging, and freely given through Jesus Christ. In a world full of confusion about love, you can rest in the truth that nothing will ever separate you from the love of God.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:37–39 ESV)

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)

Never attack the person you disagree with personally!

It really bothers me to see people who claim to be followers of Christ viciously attacking other believers who they disagree with. This is rampant on social media sites. Yes, false doctrines and false teachings should always be exposed, but never in an attacking, non-loving way. Never attack the person you disagree with personally! Too often, religious people resort to personal criticism, gossip, lies, and accusations. By doing this, they become no better than the lost people out in the world.

“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25)

“But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” (Gal. 5:15)

Love others the way God loves you!

How has He loved us? He loved us while we were “yet sinners,” before we accepted and received his gift of salvation. (Rom. 5:8)

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35)

Therefore…

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

---

CLICK HERE TO HEAR MIKE’S WEEKLY PODCAST

Or visit the following:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/171788

“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34 NKJV)

At Jesus’ most painful and darkest hour, and from the very cross where He was being crucified, He looked beyond what was happening to Himself and focused instead on the needs of others. He asked for forgiveness for them and said something very interesting and powerful, “forgive them for they know not what they do!”

Jesus knew that if they had truly understood who He was, God’s very son, (1 John 4:15 & John 3:16), they would never have attacked Him! He had all the information. He knew why He was there, and what He was there for; “the Lamb of God, willingly laying down His life for the sins of the world.” (John 1:29) This information helped Him to do what was right in spite of how He felt!

Having the right information will help you treat others with kindness and forgiveness

In the same way, knowing that you are a redeemed person (1 Peter 1:18), and knowing that you have been forgiven and bought at the price of Jesus’ death on the cross, (1 Cor. 6:20), and knowing that you are a member of God’s family, (Eph. 2:19), and knowing that you are God’s Ambassador, (2 Cor. 5:20), then you too, can do the right thing as needed, even in difficult or extreme circumstances!

Don’t give evil for evil!

Instead do the very opposite. Be kind to those who are not kind to you. Be polite to those who are rude to you. Be patient to those who are impatient to you. Be loving to those who are unloving to you!

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9 NIV)

Being kind to others helps you, too!

In a study conducted by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychology professor at the University of California, students were assigned the task of doing five random acts of kindness per week for six weeks. At the end of the study, the students’ levels of happiness had increased by 41.66 percent! Being kind to others had a profoundly positive effect on their own level of happiness!

Therefore…

“Do to others as you would have them to do to you.” (Luke6:31 NIV)

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32 ESV)

Quote:

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” - Mark Twain

---

 CLICK HERE TO HEAR MIKE’S WEEKLY PODCAST

Or visit the following:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/171788