Today is Valentine’s Day, the day when we celebrate love, especially romantic love. ‘Love’ can mean many different things in English, but the ultimate definition of love is found in 1 John 4:8,16 where we are told that ‘God is love.’
1 Cor 13:4-8 gives us a further explanation of what this love looks like:
It’s hard for us to comprehend the scope of these statements. We were created in God’s image (Gen 1:26-27) and because God is love, that means we were created in love and in order to love; we have the capacity to love as God does. Love became tainted through sin when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, but God, in His magnificence, did not forget us but chose to give His Son so that we can have everlasting life and not perish. (John 3:16) God cares for us so much that He wants us to enter into His total love, installing this perfect love in our lives and bearing this love as the fruit of His Spirit. (Gal 5:22-23)
Gal 2:20 reminds us that the life we now live is because the Son of God loved us and gave Himself for us. We are called to take hold of God’s love and let it be outworked in all our thoughts, words and deeds.
