“Love” is a very versatile word. We use it to say many different things. For example, I may say “I love ice cream,” meaning that eating ice cream is enjoyable to me. On the other hand, I may also say (and do), “I love my wife,” without at all implying that I want to chew on and digest her! So, when someone speaks of love, we must really examine what they mean.
For example, what kind of love is the Bible speaking of when it says:
John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
The verse itself shows us what God means when He talks about loving us: “For God so loved the world that He GAVE…” REAL love always involves giving! When you really love someone, your first desire is to bless them as much as you can.
On the other hand, consider the young man who says to his girlfriend, “I love you … so come and go to bed with me.”
That’s the opposite of the God kind of love. It’s more concerned with getting what he wants from the one he claims to love than with giving a blessing to her. And anytime love is more about getting than giving, it’s not real – it’s a FAKE love.
The great thing about God’s love for us is that it is totally a giving love. He gave Jesus, the Son of God, to come and live among us, and then to die for us, that we might be blessed with eternal life. There’s nothing fake about that!
God’s love for us is totally awesome… and it’s totally real!
Ron Franklin
