What's Love Have to Do With It - Part 2

Photo by: Clem Onojeghuo (unsplash)
Written by: Georgetta Head

So, the question still remains what message was the artist trying to send to the world with the song “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” Was she referring to life in general or in all relationships? Was she saying love is meaningless?
 
First and foremost, the Word of God tells us that LOVE has everything to do with life.  LOVE is the key attribute in all relationships! God is LOVE (1 John 4:16) and it is His LOVE that holds the world together.  God created every human being with the gift of LOVE and the ability to LOVE others and to receive LOVE from others.   LOVE is why we exist! Without LOVE we have hate!  With hate, we have evil!
 
If LOVE is not so important, why then have thousands of books been written about finding love, how to love, or how to rebound from a loveless relationship.
 
Unfortunately, we have an enemy named satan who likes to kill, steal and destroy the beauty of what God creates and the wonderful gifts that God so generously bestows upon His creation.  Yes, you guessed it, the one gift that satan enjoys stealing and destroying from human beings is the natural and genuine attribute of LOVE.  Genuine and authentic LOVE given from one human being to another should be the most natural thing in the world.  But, satan has done a good job in wounding humans with one another so that the word LOVE is foreign to many.
We are told in the Word of God the two greatest commandments are:

• Love the LORD thy GOD with all your heart, sound and might.
• Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

​When we fulfill these two commandments, we are fulfilling the entire law of God.
 
In order to LOVE God with all our heart, mind and strength, we need to be in an intimate relationship with Him.  A relationship in which we know the character and personality of God.  We need to know His ways and His will.  Let’s think about this for a minute!  How much do we actually know about God and truly LOVE Him?  When we LOVE someone:

• We talk about them all the time.
• We want to please the one we LOVE.
• We trust and believe in the one we LOVE.
• We know everything there is to know about the one we LOVE.
• We don’t want to harm the one we LOVE.
• With God, we PRAISE and WORSHIP at every chance.

 
Loving our neighbors is a bit different.  We are to love them as we love ourselves.  Now the question is, how do we love ourselves.  What is in our heart?  It is filled with: 

• Anger
• Bitterness
• Fear
• Judgmental or critical spirit
• Hate
• Impatient
• Lack of compassion

 When we allow the attributes above to live in our hearts, we defile others leaving them offended and hurt.
 
When we have a pure heart, we are filled with:

• Contentment
• Peace
• Faith
• Joy
• Kindness
• Gentleness
• Humility
• Longsuffering
• Patience

 We will then respond to our neighbors with godly (agape) love showing them the light of Jesus.  Our relationships will be healthier and our spirit man will reap the benefits of a healthy spirit-filled heart.
 
A story in the Bible that speaks loudly of genuine love is found in the Book of Ruth.  It’s about a daughter-in-law (Ruth) and mother-in-law (Naomi) struggling to survive as two widows in Naomi’s native land.  Ruth left all she knew and had to protect and to provide for Naomi.  The love these two women demonstrated toward each other is the type of LOVE we are to offer one another with no with no strings attached.  We are to love others as we love ourselves. Ruth loved Naomi as she loved herself!  This kind of unselfish love pleases God!
 
Friends, if you struggle loving others with agape love, ask Father God to show you what is in your heart that is preventing you from loving with agape love, and pray for Father God’s help in destroying that enemy.  Love is not meaningless! It is a priceless gift from Father God.
 
In Your Journal:

• Identify what is keeping you from loving others with agape love.
• Write a prayer asking Father God to forgive you for this act of sin.
• Identify in your journal one or two things you can do for your neighbor to show him/her agape love.

 
Today I Declare:

• As a child of God, I will not allow satan to steal my gift of love anymore.
• I am loved by God today and every day.
• I love myself and will share my love with others.

 
S.N.A.C.K. on the Word
 
Join our Facebook Group:  Journey In His Word at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/679778782184830 - Select the LIKE button or JOIN