Love is a Person

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 Jn.4:8)

We often read these kinds of verses like a nursery rhyme,  nodding our heads and saying things like, “Yup, that’s true….we need more love in the world….all you need is love…love will keep us together…love makes the world go round” and so forth. But I suggest, maybe we’re looking for love in all the wrong places. Okay, really, what does love got to do with it?

You see, Love is a Person, above and before anything else we may say about this subject. John says that we cannot know God and not love, and we cannot love without knowing God. It’s actually an exercise in futility to do otherwise. 

You may wonder how this can be with so much written and expressed about love by people who don’t know God. I’m not saying we aren’t really trying in so many different ways, just that it’s an exercise in futility. Nonetheless, we are creatures who, at a DNA-heart level, need real love. So, we keep searching…

Here’s the deal. When the seven-billion-plus human souls roaming this planet don’t find love in God, they are left pursuing counterfeit affections that look just like love. And we call that love because…we don’t know anything else. As it is said, we don’t know what we don’t know. Our human experience becomes the “norm” for this thing we call love. Why? Again, because human beings were made to receive and give love, when we don’t get the real thing, we make something else up.

And, like all counterfeits, especially the really good ones, while it may look and feel very similar and even fool those who have never experienced the real thing, it’s not the real thing. And a common experience doesn’t necessarily define whether we have the genuine article or not. We know from experience it’s too often not the case. In other words, just because most people we know, and don’t know, may define love in some other way, it doesn’t necessarily mean that genuine love has actually been experienced.  Of course, when we finally do encounter real Love, we realize that this is true. And that is why I’m not trying to argue you into something, only trying to invite you to Someone. For I have found that love is not a theology to be debated, Love is a Person to be enjoyed (Ps.16:11).

And while we will never find the real thing until we first receive it from God, the really good news is, Love is always willing and waiting to give Himself to us! Love loved us first (1 Jn.4:19), even when we thought we hated Him (Rom.5:10). And with this startling revelation, I also find that He never stops loving me, so I can’t help but love Him. Do you see how it works?

And other beautiful thing about Love.  I can actually love you now for the very first time. For when I receive love from God, I am never separated from Love (Rom.8:35-39), so even when I give love to you, and it’s not returned, I still have Love. That is pure selfless love. That’s Love living in me.

Love is waiting for you today…and everyday. He is only one thought away. Open your heart to Him and jump right in!

The Beatles were right about one thing…all you need is Love!