Latest / In the Stillness Podcast / The Truth About Love

Transcript

The Truth About Love · In the Stillness Podcast

• 0:00
  Hey, everyone, it's friendly. Welcome back to In the
• 0:04
  Stillness. Happy Wednesday.
• 0:06
  Thanks for joining me on today's episode.
• 0:09
  Today we are going to continue talking about love.
• 0:13
  And this has been a topic that has been super prominent all
• 0:17
  throughout First John. And it's one that might sound
• 0:21
  simple because honestly, I think everyone agrees love is
• 0:26
  important in this world, whether you are a Christian or not.
• 0:30
  I believe most people would say love matters.
• 0:34
  But here's the tension. I don't think we all mean the
• 0:39
  same thing when we say the word love.
• 0:42
  So today I want to slow down and really get to the core of it.
• 0:47
  Not just the surface level idea of love, but the biblically
• 0:51
  rooted definition of what love is.
• 0:55
  So we're going to be reading in first John chapter 4 through
• 0:59
  verses 7 to 8. Those who are loved by God let
• 1:06
  his love continually pour from you to one another because God
• 1:10
  is love. Everyone who loves is fathered
• 1:15
  by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of Him.
• 1:19
  The one who does not love has yet to know God, for God is
• 1:24
  love. OK, that last line right there
• 1:29
  changes everything and it actually says it twice in these
• 1:33
  verses. God is love, not love is God,
• 1:39
  but God is love. Meaning love is not defined by
• 1:44
  culture, emotions, or even personal preference.
• 1:49
  It's defined by the Lord. And so that forces us to ask an
• 1:54
  honest question early on, what do I actually mean when I say I
• 2:00
  love someone or something? Because I think oftentimes we've
• 2:05
  been taught, whether it's subtly or directly, that love is a
• 2:09
  feeling, something that you fall into or even fall out of.
• 2:15
  But Scripture paints an even deeper, more vivid picture.
• 2:20
  Love is a choice and it's an action.
• 2:24
  And oftentimes love is a sacrifice.
• 2:28
  Anyone can say that they love someone, but what happens when
• 2:33
  it's inconvenient? What happens when it's costly?
• 2:37
  That is where Love Actually becomes real.
• 2:41
  God does not just define love, He demonstrates it.
• 2:45
  Romans 5 verse 8 says But God demonstrates His own love toward
• 2:50
  us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• 2:57
  Y'all. That is not a feeling, that is a
• 3:00
  decision, and that is sacrifice. So if God is the source of love,
• 3:06
  Jesus is the example of love, and the Holy Spirit is the power
• 3:11
  to love, that is the significance of the Trinity.
• 3:16
  It's 3:00 and 1:00. We don't just try harder, we
• 3:20
  stay connected to Him. And so that leads to another
• 3:24
  question to sit with. Is my love something that I'm
• 3:28
  producing on my own in my own ability, or is it something
• 3:32
  flowing from my personal relationship with God?
• 3:36
  Because the Bible says that when we truly know God, we love.
• 3:43
  And the word no here is not service level.
• 3:46
  It's relational, personal, experiential.
• 3:52
  Because you cannot genuinely love someone that you don't
• 3:55
  truly know. Think about anything in your
• 3:58
  life, a close friend, a family member, Maybe it's something
• 4:03
  like your favorite coffee order or your favorite food.
• 4:07
  For me, I love sweet potatoes, but I didn't just love it
• 4:11
  immediately because you grow into that love the more that you
• 4:17
  experience it. It's the same with God.
• 4:20
  Knowing Him deeply produces real love naturally, and this is
• 4:27
  something I felt really strongly while sitting with these two
• 4:30
  verses. God's love is like an aroma.
• 4:35
  Think about a fragrance or perfume.
• 4:38
  It fills a room, it lingers, and it's recognizable.
• 4:43
  You don't have to just announce it.
• 4:45
  People naturally notice it, and in the same way you can tell
• 4:50
  when someone has spent quality time with God, not because
• 4:55
  they're just saying all the right things, but because their
• 4:58
  life, it carries something different.
• 5:03
  You see it through their patience, their kindness, their
• 5:07
  joy, their gentleness. It's increasing.
• 5:12
  That's why it says in Galatians 5 that the fruit of the Spirit
• 5:16
  is Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
• 5:21
  faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
• 5:25
  Because those qualities are evidence.
• 5:29
  But here's another simple but honest question to ask yourself.
• 5:33
  If God's love is like an aroma, what do people experience when
• 5:38
  they're around me? It's not just perfection, but is
• 5:43
  there something noticeably different in my life, in my
• 5:47
  countenance? Is there proof that God is at
• 5:50
  work in my heart? The world, however, flips this
• 5:56
  entirely. It tells us that love is
• 5:59
  whatever feels good momentarily, to just do what is easiest, what
• 6:04
  satisfies you right now. But that kind of love is
• 6:08
  selfish, and Scripture calls us higher.
• 6:12
  Philippians 2 verse 4 says let each of you look out not only
• 6:18
  for his own interests but also for the interests of others.
• 6:23
  So that is not always going to be easy, but it's real love.
• 6:28
  So ask yourself, this is my love mostly about what I can get?
• 6:33
  Do I give it when I can reap the benefits?
• 6:37
  Or is love what I'm willing to give?
• 6:40
  Because Jesus also said if you love me, keep my commandments.
• 6:46
  John 1415. And his command is simple, but
• 6:50
  it's not shallow. He tells us to love God and to
• 6:54
  love people fully and genuinely. It's not because you have to,
• 7:00
  but because you get to. And the truth that I don't think
• 7:04
  it's talked about enough is that it is more blessed to give than
• 7:08
  to receive. We see that in Acts 20, there is
• 7:13
  a deeper fulfillment in loving others well than in just
• 7:16
  pursuing what feels good to you in the moment.
• 7:20
  So just a challenge. As you go through the rest of
• 7:24
  your week, stay aware of this. Where is God inviting me to love
• 7:30
  differently today? What is a new way that I can
• 7:33
  demonstrate the Father's love? Maybe it's patience when you are
• 7:39
  tired, you are worn down, or you're even irritated.
• 7:44
  Maybe it's encouragement when someone least expects it.
• 7:47
  Maybe it's choosing humility instead of always being right.
• 7:52
  Because love is what shows up in those small moments.
• 7:56
  And over time, as you practice this and put it into play, it
• 8:02
  starts to look more like Jesus. It's radically different.
• 8:07
  So let's go ahead and close out in prayer.
• 8:12
  Dear God, thank you that you are the very definition of love.
• 8:19
  You demonstrated it through the person of Jesus Christ, and you
• 8:23
  give us your spirit that empowers us to love like you.
• 8:30
  You are the source. Thank you for showing us that
• 8:36
  love is real and it is consistent.
• 8:40
  It's not just when it's easy, but it's also when it's costly.
• 8:46
  Lord, would you grow us in patience, in kindness and
• 8:50
  gentleness, and even more so in selflessness?
• 8:55
  I pray that our lives would carry Your presence so clearly
• 9:00
  that others experience Your love through US.
• 9:04
  May it be like an aroma that is just constant.
• 9:09
  Help us to know you more. We want to know you more deeply,
• 9:13
  personally, intimately, so that your love naturally flows from
• 9:19
  our heart. We love you so much, Lord.
• 9:24
  Thank you, Jesus, for your precious sacrifice.
• 9:27
  We offer today to you. We give you our lives as a
• 9:32
  fragrant offering. Let it be pleasing to you, Lord.
• 9:36
  In your name we pray Jesus, Amen.
• 9:40
  OK y'all, that's today's podcast episode.
• 9:43
  I hope you all have a great rest of your Wednesday and that the
• 9:46
  Lord just fuels you for the rest of the week and that you can
• 9:50
  find creative ways to show others God's love in your life.
• 9:55
  I'll see y'all in the next episode.