Today’s Devotional: “How Are We To Love?”

Love is not what we believe.

In our society, love has many definitions. There’s passionate love, where our emotions run wild. There’s familial love, where we say that blood is thicker than water. There’s also love for others, sometimes described as “brotherly love.”

But when it comes to love, the greatest definition is found in the Greek word “Agape.” This means unconditional love, a love that gives without any expectation of return. It literally describes the love that God has for us, as He gave us His Son, Jesus, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish (John 3:16).

Agape love is not what we can get from others; rather, it is the love we give away freely.

The Apostle John offers us another definition of love. “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.” (2 John 1:6a)

So if love means walking according to God’s commandments, what are God’s commandments?

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Jesus then said that the whole of the law and what the prophets had to say hung on these two commandments (Matthew 22:40). These two commandments are the foundation of everything in life.

To ensure this message isn’t lost in translation, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34)

And so, when we love others with the same love God loved us, that is, His agape love, we will fulfill God’s Great Commandment and walk in accordance with His commandments, which the Apostle John says is love.