That’s Love
Mustard Seed Chronicles: Story Time with LU Grandma
What is love? And how does it apply to our lives? We love all kinds of things from pizza, cars and clothes to music and movies, etc. What does God say about love?
The word love occurs 645 times in 575 verses in the New Living Translation of the Bible. If we lived these verses every day and put them into action then what would our world look like? What if we, like Christ, loved those who do not love us? What would our world look like then?
Here are just some of the verses about what God says about love:
For the faithful love of God, 1 John 4:19 says, “We love each other because he loved us first.”
Our love for God is described in Deuteronomy 6:5 as “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”
Our love for others is shown in John 13:34 which says, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”
Love in a family is supposed to look like Ephesians 5:25 & 28 which says “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her…In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.” And, Exodus 20:12 which tells children to “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”
The love of the older generation for the younger ones is described in Titus 2:3-4 as “Likewise, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God…These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children.”
There is selfless love which means loving others even if it means you do not receive love back. Jesus is the best example of that! “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
Then, there is a hard one, the love for our enemies. Matthew 5:44 says “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” And, Romans 5:8 which says “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
There are also God’s warnings about love for money, power, and flesh. 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” And 1 John 2:16 says, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, Your love is greater than any human love has been, or ever will be. You tell us to love those who may not love us back and to love so completely as to be filled heart, mind, soul, and strength with it. This is impossible without Your grace and mercy, so help us all, Lord!
In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen!
Meet the Author
Timi Plyter
“LU Grandma”
Lead Parent Advocate
