What’s love got to do with it? That is the question Tina Turner asked so many years ago. (And, yes I am old enough to remember when she rolled on the river!). But today is love nothing more than a word we toss around carelessly? Is it another word that we have watered down the meaning of? Tina said it was nothing more than a second hand emotion. What is love?
The word love (translated from a few different Greek words) is used 212 times in 183 verses in the Bible (ESV). Hate, by contrast, is used only 13 times. So there seems to be some importance attached to the word LOVE. And, rightly so. John wrote, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8). The very God that we say we worship is LOVE. But, how can we worship a God that is love and yet harbor hate for some many of our brothers and sisters?
If the very God that we worship is love should not our lives be overflowing with that very same love? Should our love not be inward and not motivated by self but our love for others? God gave Ten Commandments in the Old Testament and then in the New Testament the commands are cut down to two: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Looking at the Ten Commandments, the first 4 show a love of God; the next 6 a love towards our fellow man. The embodiment of the commandments under both covenants is one thing: Love.
So what’s love got to do with it? Everything!
This week I am doing a guest blog over at The Preacher’s Pen. Several gust writers will be writing the next 6 weeks. Please stop by and see why we like the Church.
And Don’t Forget Next Month is a special month at “Here In The Real World”. We will have several guest writers all writing on the topic of UNITY. Here is the list of writers:
Chris Stanley- Campus Minister at Mid Atlantic Christian University
Chris Gallagher- The Preacher’s Pen
Paula Harrington- Paula’s website
Tim Archer- Kitchen of Half Baked Thoughts
Doug Young- douglasryoung.net/
Trey Morgan- Treymorgan.net
John Dobbs- Out Here Hope Remains
If you are in the area come see me at the ROANOKE ACRES CHURCH OF CHRIST
Until next time May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You: All Y’all!
bobbycohoon