“Love is more than a word, it’s a noun, it’s a verb.” – Lecrae

Although this scares me to write about because I don’t have a lot of knowledge on the topic of love, I do know that the love of the One who created me is real.

In our society today it seems that the word love gets thrown around a lot. I know I do it all the time; “Man, I love this show!” “I love the taste of this pizza.” “I love you.” “Green heart emoji.” (That’s my favorite one.) These are all phrases that I have said on many occasions in my life, but have I truly meant it or known the magnitude that the words I’m saying take on? I believe love takes on many forms in different areas of our life, yet contrarily to what the world wants you to think, love is not just sex–WHAT A LIE! Don’t let the world scar the truth. Love respects the plan that God has set forth, and it respects the people within that plan (including yourself).

Love is not proud. Nor is it cocky. Love does not think only of one’s self or one’s “needs”, but it is joyful in serving. Love is never happy about an injustice, nor does it hold on to the wrong doing of others. Although love may feel/look different to different people, it still has certain truths about it. For instance, romantic love looks a lot differently than brotherly love. However, they have the same characteristics. Love means you lay down the things that you so desperately want in order to better serve an other. Their joy, safety, peace, advancement, honor, etc. means more to you than anything else. You give up things that are “good” for you in exchange for something greater. When you want to love Someone (verb) you have to do things that may be mind blowing or even meaningless in your eyes, but those are the things that mean the world to that person. It is all about what their perspective of love is, and how they feel and recognize the love that you give them. If the person you love feels loved when you help them with their work then that is what love looks like in the relationship. If they feel loved when you put down your phone and speak directly and intently towards them, then that is love.  Actively seeking out and enjoying the time spent together is love. True love looks more and more like an action than an emotion.

In the biggest picture/truth ever presented, love looks like a perfect God wanting the best from all of the beings He created (us) so He sent His son to die in all of their (our) places in order that they (we) might know Him intimately. Love looks like that perfect Son taking on all of the guilt, shame, mockery, and weight that the perversion of the world created in order that all of His Fathers’ creation might know Him and reign on the throne with Him. It’s the act of giving up ones life for another. I mean Jesus was the perfect example of love so if you are struggling remembering how to love then REMEMBER WHAT HE DID (died in our place). Remember what He said. In John chapter 15: “No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.” Now, love doesn’t consist solely of laying down your life for a friend when they are in harms way or physically injured. It means you pick them back up when they’ve fallen down from grace. It means you forgive EVERY TIME they mess up because that’s what Jesus does. It means you bring to the world the truth of God’s Word in a gracious manner. Love doesn’t shy away from the truth, but in fact, it is perfected when combined with the truth. However, it doesn’t boast in the truth as if it has never done anything wrong. Respect of the boundaries and guidelines that God has given us is one of the greatest ways we can show love.When we follow those guidelines within our relationships on earth, then we are being active with our love. When our life is lived in accordance with the truth that God has spoken and with the knowledge of the love that has been given to us then that is when love abounds freely. It takes the act of humbly discovering how much you NEED love in order to give love and live with that love seeping freely from you.

Colossians 3: 12-14. “Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive. Above all, put on love–the perfect bond of unity.”

So put on love. Wear it daily. Forgive others and forgive yourself. Give up the false doctrines and lies that you live with. Lay down your self, lay down your feelings, lay down your attitude, lay down your dreams. That’s what laying down your life is. Stand up in the boldness of what Christ did on the cross and live in union with Him. Hold on to love–“the perfect bond of unity.”

run wild. live free. LOVE strong.

be blessed.

SM