Love God and Love People

Several years ago songwriter Derric Johnson wrote a musical about marriage. In it was a song containing this verse: Love is something that’s real; love is something that’s true; love is something you feel; but most of all, love is something you do.

 Unfortunately we live in a ‘love is a noun’ culture while God invites us to move into the ‘love is a verb’ community.

So much searching for real love. Books overflow with advice at finding it. Internet dating services make untold millions convincing people that they’re just a keystroke away from finding it. What does love ‘sound like’ or ‘feel like’ we wonder. Can we know when we’re really being loved?

We can if that love is a verb. Love reveals itself through its actions, not just its words. Words of love devoid of any observable sign of that love aren’t very convincing. God backed up his words of love by giving the world his most precious gift … his Son.

But lest we go too far in assigning the word ‘love’ to only action, we must consider a balance here. In the English language we use forms of the word ‘love’ as nouns (“I think I’m in love”); as verbs (“I love being with you”); as adverbs (“She handled it lovingly”) and adjectives (“It was a loved heirloom).

But that doesn’t change the fact that love in its divine origin is an action-producing noun. In other words, our capacity to love comes from a Heavenly Father who not only loves, but in reality is love. We can love easily because we are loved. We’ve been given unconditional love, so we have it to give to others.

Our salvation is based on our choice to accept unmerited love from our Father. And our ability to move through life loving others is also a choice. Don’t hesitate to give it away freely because there’s a never-ending supply where you got it in the first place.

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.

Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”

I John 4:7 New Living Translation