Who Defines Love?

Toward the end of his life my father-in-law told me he wished he would have loved others better. Can’t we all honestly say that? I surely can.

Love is everything to God. He said how we love others will determine where we spend eternity.

Since God is love, shouldn’t He be the one to decide if how we treat one another is truly love?

Many today define love in ways that were considered ridiculous years ago. Some think it’s loving to allow men to compete in women’s sports. Perhaps the men feel loved, but do the women?

Some doctors believe it’s loving to perform irreversible genital surgery on the healthy body of a person confused about their gender. Is it really? Ask Chloe Cole what she thinks?

In San Francisco, lawmakers thought it good to allow shoplifters to steal up to $950 without being prosecuted. Of course the shoplifters felt loved. I doubt the small business owners who lost their livelihoods due to theft felt very loved.

How foolish to believe we know better than God what true love is. We don’t get to define it—that’s His job. Our job is to find out what He loves, and then do it.

Don’t let the ever-changing culture tell you what love is. Let the One who IS love define love. And He already has!

“This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” 1 John 5:3.

“Love does no harm” Romans 13:10

It takes courage and the Holy Spirit’s power to obey God’s definition of love when others angrily disagree with you.

With tears, I’ve said some unpopular truths to loved ones who were harming themselves by their ungodly choices. Some were offended by my warning them, but some listened—did the right thing—and eventually thanked me for loving them enough to tell them the truth.

God’s love is perfect. The world’s love is not. It’s that simple. My father-in-law knew that well—and even though he may not have always loved people perfectly, he spent his life telling them about the One who did . . . Jesus!

“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.” 1 Corinthians 3:19

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭