Perfect Love — A LifeWords Devotion

That word “love” is both commonly used and commonly misused. There are different sorts of love. My love of chocolate is not quite the same as my love for my children. My love of travel may not be the same as my love of a troubled neighbour. There are degrees of love.

In human relationships, we can confuse love with liking. I may say I love someone when what I might truly mean is that I love the way they make me feel, or I love the things they do. Nothing wrong with that, but real love goes off in a different direction as indicated by Jesus.

Love means thinking and acting and speaking with goodwill towards others irrespective of whether we like them, or whether they like us. Love may involve feeling, but also involves the will. An especially unpleasant person may not be a warm friend; I may not like them at all. But I am called upon to seek their good. I can scarcely say I like a total stranger, but I am to love them. I cannot say I am attracted to a drug dealer, but I am to find a way of loving them without approving of what they do.

Falling in love can come easily. Liking is a normal human response to nice people. But that perfect love described by Jesus does not come naturally. It only comes supernaturally.

Blessings

David