Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. —John 15:13
To find the meaning of true love, we have to go back to the Word of God because God Himself is love. And in His Word, we discover the meaning of real love. The word agape is one of the rarest words in the ancient Greek language, yet it’s a word commonly used in the New Testament. Only the Christian faith has a real comprehension of and appreciation for the meaning of true agape love.
Agape never refers to romantic feelings, to sexual love, or to having warm feelings about someone. It doesn’t speak of close friendship or brotherly love. Real love, agape love, is a God quality. We must have God in our lives to have this kind of love.
I heard a definition of godly love years ago that stuck in my heart and has become a measuring tool for my own life: genuine love is totally giving of yourself to meet the needs of another person without expecting anything in return. That’s real, true love.
Make it Personal
Based on the definition of love above, how are you doing at loving others around you?