Love Wins How?
The Beatles told us all we need is love. We've heard that love makes the world go 'round. And we are approaching a holiday dedicated to love. Divorced from its Christian roots, Valentine's Day has become mostly about hearts and flowers and chocolates and crowded restaurants.
But, then again, the whole idea of love has lost its roots. The center of the Christian faith is love, but what we mean by love and what the church really means by love are worlds apart.
Love, for most of us, is squishy, mushy, warm feelings that always make us feel good and never produces conflict. When "love" gets difficult, many in our world want out. Quickly. When we say "Love Wins" what we usually mean is that warm feelings win and anything that threatens those feelings needs to go. We fall in love and we fall out of love so easily...and we even believe the lie that the movies teach: "Love means never having to say you're sorry."
Actually, love means having to say you're sorry...a lot! Love is a choice, not a feeling. We choose to love in the same way Jesus chose to love. In fact, Jesus defined love not as a feeling but as a decision—a decision that might even cost us our lives. "Greater love," Jesus said, "has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13). That's the way "love wins," when we are willing to lay down our lives for others. Love gives itself away, and not just when it "feels good."
We need to recover the true meaning of love in the church. Hearts and flowers and chocolates and warm, fuzzy feelings are nice—who doesn't enjoy all that (especially the chocolate!)? But it's time to put that aside and really begin to learn to love one another with soul-binding love. Love that doesn't give up. Love that doesn't walk away. Love that's willing to go to the cross for the other. Self-denying, self-sacrificing, self-effacing love. After all, Jesus said they would know us by the way we love one another (John 13:34-35).
But, then again, the whole idea of love has lost its roots. The center of the Christian faith is love, but what we mean by love and what the church really means by love are worlds apart.
Love, for most of us, is squishy, mushy, warm feelings that always make us feel good and never produces conflict. When "love" gets difficult, many in our world want out. Quickly. When we say "Love Wins" what we usually mean is that warm feelings win and anything that threatens those feelings needs to go. We fall in love and we fall out of love so easily...and we even believe the lie that the movies teach: "Love means never having to say you're sorry."
Actually, love means having to say you're sorry...a lot! Love is a choice, not a feeling. We choose to love in the same way Jesus chose to love. In fact, Jesus defined love not as a feeling but as a decision—a decision that might even cost us our lives. "Greater love," Jesus said, "has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13). That's the way "love wins," when we are willing to lay down our lives for others. Love gives itself away, and not just when it "feels good."
We need to recover the true meaning of love in the church. Hearts and flowers and chocolates and warm, fuzzy feelings are nice—who doesn't enjoy all that (especially the chocolate!)? But it's time to put that aside and really begin to learn to love one another with soul-binding love. Love that doesn't give up. Love that doesn't walk away. Love that's willing to go to the cross for the other. Self-denying, self-sacrificing, self-effacing love. After all, Jesus said they would know us by the way we love one another (John 13:34-35).
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