Real Love

1 John 4:7-12 (ESV)

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

When I watch TV, check the Internet, or listen to those  conversations around me, it’s clear that our society sometimes has a very poor understanding of love. The amazing thing is there is so much information out there about this subject. There are thousands of books currently in print with the word "love" in the title. Not to mention the huge amount of websites that use the word "love" as one of their key search words.

It is very clear how important love is to our culture – to people in general. But with all this information available, love has become a very confusing subject. With our society so confused about love, who is to say what love is? The answer is God! One of the simplest and yet most profound definitions of love is found in 1 John 4:8 "…God is love."

Did you ever prepare for an exam at school and realized when you started the test you had been studying the wrong chapter? If you have done this or can picture this happening it sounds pretty crazy, right? Let's ask ourselves this question though, Where are we learning about God's love from? Our answer to this question is best displayed when our love for God is tested. We have to be careful what we are "studying" and where our information is coming from.

Take a minute and think about two key components of influence: the things you watch and hear (TV, computer, music, etc.) and the friends you surround yourself with. Do these things and people help me on my journey of understanding God’s love?

Dear Lord, thank You for being the author of love. Help us to go to the things that will bring us closer to You and to understand love better. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.