Measuring Love

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18

The word “love” is thrown around more and understood less than many other words in our vocabulary. It has high power in a relationship, and it is expressed. Songs are fueled by the word love. We use it to describe the sports team we root for and the food we are passionate about. The bond between a husband and wife, a parent and child, or two friends, can also display great love. One word used in multiple ways and plenty of confusion to go around on just how to understand this beautiful relational commodity. How does a man begin to understand what love is?

According to the Bible, God is love. God is the baseline where we start unpacking this powerful word.

When my dad first taught me how to hang a shelf, he taught me how to use a level. Regardless of how it looked to the eye, my father instructed me, the true measure of accuracy is determined by this handy tool. I would later come to find out that precision required something outside of myself. I could not only trust how it looked because often my eye would deceive me. Of course, I would get it close once and awhile without a level, but when I wanted it to count, I had to utilize the standard only a level could give.

For perfect love, Jesus is our standard. His action became the standard that all other work is held up to. As you measure love, don’t trust your eye. Reflect on the example and begin to understand love according to the action of Christ.

DO THIS TODAY: Find one way to love in Christ’s example.