What is love?

1 John 4: 10 – 11

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

On this day that the entire world celebrates love, do we even understand what real love is?

Paul told men that they should love their wives like Christ loved the church.

What men need to understand, before they love their wives, is the love that Jesus has for us all, and what that love cost the Father.

The love that God demonstrated wasn’t a box filled with chocolates, or a bouquet of flowers, or a teddy bear. The love the Father sent, was His one and only Son.

The atoning sacrifice probably isn’t something Hallmark would consider using as an ad campaign for Valentine’s Day.

That love was sacrificial—that love was painful and gory—that love was messy—that love was poured out, as the blood flowed down.

The reason it was all of that, is because of our collective sins. Not a pretty sight!

Because of our lost state and sinful nature, the atonement required real love. Love that most of us don’t understand.

So as you go about this day of love, don’t forget where love came from in the first place. I’m talking about real love……