By Tyson Thorne

April 8, 2014
 
 

LivingLove large

Now that we know what Love looks like, and how to change to become the person God wants us to be, what does it look like to live lovingly?

An advertisement at the top of a web page read. “Life is short. Have an affair.” It was advertising some personals site for sex without strings, and it’s the perfect example of what love is not. Last week we looked at God’s love and the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. Our savior didn’t look for short cuts, quick fixes or personal gratitude during his earthly ministry. He came and lived and died and rose again for a single purpose, to save as many as possible. Why did he do it? Love. God’s love for us found a way to satisfy justice and still show mercy not just for one person, but for billions.

Make no mistake, when the Bible talks about “love” it is not talking about intercourse. In fact, nowhere in Scripture is intercourse ever described as “making love”. The culture today would have you believe that they are one and the same, but of course they are not. The Bible talks about love frequently, and sex infrequently. There is a reason for that.

Love is multi-faceted, whereas sex is a singular act. Love is an emotion, an action, a decision, a spirit, a person, and a devotion. Sex is not love, though it can be an expression of it. Our culture wants to push people into sex as early as possible yet the Bible teaches we are to discover love first, and practice all its forms before embarking on the act of intercourse.

Perhaps I’m the last person who should be talking about the topic of Love. I’ve never had any children, so I do not know the love a man has for his kids. I have never had kids because I’ve never married, so I can’t talk authoritatively about growing old with the love of one’s life. And because I’ve never married I’ve led a life of celibacy. How have I managed to escape the prevailing philosophy of this world that sex is something that should not and cannot be avoided? By loving God.

If a man or woman love’s God then it follows that there will be no word that will delight the inner person more than the word and law of God. Indeed, I submit to you that the man or woman who loves God delights in obeying God. Just as the farm boy in The Princess Bride chose not to express his love for Princess Buttercup by saying, “I love you” and instead chose to demonstrate his love through three other words, “As you wish”, so too should the child of God. Saying “I love you” is easy, demonstrating that love through obedience or setting aside one’s own will for the sake of another’s is far more meaningful.

Jacob worked 14 years for his uncle Laban in order to marry Rachel (Genesis 29); what a demonstration of love! Likewise, God doesn’t simply tell us he loves us, he demonstrated it by dying on a cross for our salvation. Never before has action spoken so much more loudly than words. This is Living Love: obedience to God, setting aside one’s own desires for another, treating others better than you treat yourself. This way of living runs contrary to our nature because while we may have been reborn in Christ, we were first physically born cursed and damned. Selfishness reigned in our heart, mind, soul and strength long before the love of God entered into us. It’s easy to live for oneself, and it is love to live and die for someone else. Which raises an interesting question: How will you demonstrate your love to God and to the significant people in your life? The answer ought to become your top priority.

 
 
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