“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jo. 3:16(NKJV)
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” I John 2:15(NKJV)
One of the most widely used and most undervalued words in the English language is the word love. We love God and we love mashed potatoes. We love the Lord and we love to watch television. There is not a real appreciation for the most grandeur word of mankind. Is God’s idea of love the same as man’s idea? How could it be in light of the Scriptures above? How can God love the world and tell us not to love it? Only if we understand the word and how to define it can we understand the meaning. We use the word love in too many instances that are a miss use of the term.
What does the Bible tell us to love? We are to love God, Jesus Christ, one another, the Word, righteousness, and truth. Love is only used in describing relationships between God and man and between humans. It should be reserved to reflect its true meaning, not our idea about it.
The way we use the word love is so “common” it dilutes the true value of the expression. If “God is love” and I Corinthians 13 is correct, how can we lightly refer to loving some thing? Does “I love these shoes!” and “I love Jesus!” reflect the same degree of emotion? Let us purify the use and idea of love and elevate it to its higher meaning.