“Love” (157) as understood by Christians is a unique quality in the world. It is not based on blood or attraction. It is not based on any quality in the other person. It is based on the character of God. A clear teaching of scripture is that we are not worthy of God’s favor. We are rebels and have rejected Him. We are centered on ourselves. In spite of that He loves us.
(Romans 5:8 KJV) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.In the same way, we are to love.
That love is not the warm mushy fluff served up by Hollywood and a lot of pulpits. It is a commitment to do what is best for the other person, even when they reject that road. It is why parenting is so hard. You want to make the child happy now. Instead you need to prepare him to be happy in life and for eternity. It is why marriage is so hard at times. It is, as this verse points out, part of being a “friend” (7453).
So? It isn’t easy. It will generate comments like, “I thought you were my friend”. Love is a commitment to do what is best for the other person based on the standards of God, not the latest self-help book.
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