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“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” — 1 John 2:15–17, NIV
Worldly love is often based on ourselves and on our conditions and desires. As people, we have a tendency to think only of our own needs and wants and to put ourselves first. We often do not act lovingly towards others and, instead, we love based on our own emotions.
Here are some common qualities of worldly love:
Fortunately, there is One whose love does not hold any of these traits.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” — Ephesians 3:16–19, NIV
God’s love is not like ours. His love is different and better.
Here are some attributes of God’s love:
“We love because he first loved us.” — 1 John 4:19, NIV
The word “love” brings to mind unique images for different people. Maybe you think of someone with hearts in their eyes, swooning over a love interest. Perhaps you think of love for a sibling, parent or child. Another possibility is that you think of love for a pet or a possession. Do think of God’s love for us?
Biblical love is based on God’s love for us. Let’s examine the differences among worldly love, God’s love and biblical love.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” — 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, NIV
As God deeply loves us, we can show love to others. The Bible teaches us how to love others in a way that honors God. What does it mean to love biblically? Here are a few ways we can love others in a godly manner, not a worldly one:
No matter who we interact with, whether it be a significant other, family member, friend, stranger or even an enemy, we have a choice. We can choose to love like the world loves, or we can ground our relationships in biblical truth and strive to show God’s love to others.
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