The word ‘love’ in the 21st century covers a whole bunch of different things. People use it to describe their feelings for coffee, partners, children, furniture. But in the Bible, ‘love’ means completely-given-over devotion to something. Sure, if you devote yourself to a TV show, you’ll watch it more than other TV shows. But if you devote yourself to a person, you’ll give yourself to them in so many more ways than you would for a TV show. Devotion like that is sacrifice. If you flick back to the early pages of the Bible, you’ll usually see it in the form of a covenant. David and Jonathan made one (1 Samuel 18:1-4). They gave all their possessions to each other. They changed their names so each could put the other first. If one was in danger, the other would immediately drop everything to go and help. The reason the Bible mentions this type of love so often is because it’s the type of love that looks most like God. At the cross, when we poured out our hatred on God, He poured out His love on us. His love is so self-sacrificing, it reaches over its own right for revenge, and chooses approval instead. That’s love that goes beyond ‘I like you’ to ‘I’ll give myself up for you’. It trips over itself to be helpful (Galatians 6:2). It wants to build others up, not just be entertained by them (1 Corinthians 8:1). It goes out of its way to put others in places where they can find God’s purposes for them (Romans 15:2).

What Now?
Read through the famous Bible chapter about love (1 Corinthians 13) and ask God to show you where your love for others may be falling a bit short.