That Thing Called Love
By: Betty S. Jones
February is a time to remember someone in your life that you love. A time to send flowers, candy or enjoy a special night out with a loved one. In our devotions we want to share a question, “What is love?†The scriptures in I John 4: 8, 16 and tells us that “God is love.â€
Sometimes in an act of selfishness, we find ourselves getting in the mindset of “what’s in it for me?†and only showing love to those who love us. This is called conditional love and is based on the law of reciprocity – we expect love in return. We find it easy to exchange love to those that love us. This conditional love may be in the form or a favor or a need. There is nothing wrong with doing a favor or good deed. However, if we expect something in return, we can set ourselves up for disappointment, or worse, miss a blessing.
We become trapped in the idea that performance is somehow tied to love. However, God’s love is unconditional. John 3: 16 is a perfect example of unconditional love. We deserved death, but God and His agape love came down to us in the flesh and through Jesus; bore our sins on the cross to pay our sin debt. Unconditional, because we should have all been sentenced to death.
Christian love is displayed in our actions and how we treat others. The Bible tells us that a good tree cannot produce bad fruit. Love is one of the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22. In our daily walk, let us all show the fruit of the Spirit of love. Ask God to help us shine for Him through our actions by displaying kindness to one another. May we esteem and uplift one another, and put others’ needs before our own. Christian love should extend far beyond just the brotherhood. Remember that we should love the sinner and not the sin. Jesus commands us to love our enemies and to pray for those that despitefully use us. By practicing the fruit of the Spirit, the love of Christ will shine through us.
