I don’t know about you but the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear that question is that one song…. “What is love, baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more…” I don’t know who wrote it or even the rest of the song for that matter lol. I might not know much, but I do know of someone that will love you unconditionally. God loves us so much he sent his son to die to give us everlasting life. He loves us despite knowing we would sin and disobey His word!

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

So if God was looking out for us while we were sinners I could only imagine what he would do for us once we confess him as our Lord and savior. Just think of it this way, would you take a bullet for someone you’ve never met/seen before? I didn’t think so. But that’s exactly what God did, He sent His only son Jesus to die for us far before we were even born. Throughout our disobedience, he continues to love us, waiting for us to ask for forgiveness for what we did.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

He is leading by example. We are told to love one another just as He did over and over throughout the Bible. (Lev 19:18, Matt 5:44, John 15:12-17, Rom 12:10, Rom 13:8-10, Gal 5:14, Eph 5:2, 1 Th 4:9) We are told to forgive others even when they don’t deserve it or ask for it, to show a love that keeps no records of wrongdoing. In Philippians 2 we are told when we value others above ourselves we are emulating the attitude of Christ. We must show love to others by forgiving, accepting, and honoring them; we can only love others when God’s love is in us!

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

We are not physically capable of loving others unless we love ourselves. “Love the Lord your God with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. Love your neighbor as yourself, there is no commandment greater than these” -Mark 12:30-31 This is the first step in getting closer to God. “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” – 1 Corinthians 13:2

1 John 4:16 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

I would think you all know John 3:16… “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.” There’s a big difference between that type of Agape love God has for us and the Philia love we have for material objects. 

A good leader leads by example and there are many examples of Gods love. John 15:9-10 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” We are all capable of showing this type of love. Romans 5:5 “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” I like how it is explained in the song ‘The Proof of Your Love’ by For King & Country. Let my life be the proof of your love, let my heart look like you and what youre made of. How you lived, how you died, the love is sacrifice. We are the product of Gods unfailing love! In Genesis Adam was told not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Before He even told Adam about the tree, God knew what was going to happen but He loved him anyway. We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God but guess what, He Loves us anyway! Not to quote another song or anything but……. ‘You love me anyway’ by Sidewalk Prophet is another perfect example of what I am talking about. When hearing the word love most people think of Eros or Philia love and they don’t really understand Gods deeper meaning. It’s about loving your neighbor as yourself! Not really based on your feelings but an exercise of your will. God is not telling us to “have a good feeling” for our enemies, but to act in a loving way toward them by doing whats right. You do your part and God will do his! God told Abraham(at that time his name was still Abram) I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. You shouldn’t show this love only because He has commanded us to, but because it’s how you would want to be treated as well. Treating others how you would want to be treated goes a long way. If you go to a restaurant and the server is mean, you’re probably not going to want them as a server again or not go back…. But if the server is loving/caring, you are more likely to go back because you enjoyed the service. “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” -Romans 13:10

To sum it all up, Love is not defined by the act, but by the character of God within the act. It’s not really about what you do but more about how you do it. Doing the right thing not because someone else is watching or because you will get rewarded, but because it’s right. It is not something you just turn on and off but is an ongoing process in your life. Striving to love ourselves and others like God has loved us. We must love everyone no matter their age, gender, ethnicity, or beliefs. To Love is to commend(uplift) one another, and not condemn(put down) or offend eachother. When we Love we show no favorites and do not try to out shine/out perform others. We are humble and willing to take criticism from others trying to discourage us. It is constructive, and learns from others input instead of taking them the wrong way. GOD IS LOVE