Monday – What is Love?
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” – 1 Peter 4:8
As we wrap up the season of love and marriage, I want to conclude this month by clearly defining what biblical love really is. Before we step into this week’s love description, we have to be honest about what love is not, because many of us have been shaped more by culture than by Scripture.
If you have ever walked through a flea market, you see knock-off bags and fake designer clothes everywhere. They look good at first and feel like a great deal, but after a short time, the seams split, the quality fades, and what you bought begins to fall apart. It was never built to last because it was phony from the start. In the same way, Satan has taken what God created as holy and life-giving and replaced it with a cheap, costless version of love. The world says love is tolerance, purely emotional, without boundaries, where each person makes their own rules, and God is reduced to love without truth, holiness, or accountability.
My friends, do not be deceived by this attractive model. This is not the God of the Bible, but a god shaped by personal comfort. Scripture gives us a clear and challenging picture of real love:
1. God is all-loving and also just, and He does not compromise with sin.
2. God is a God of order, not chaos.
3. God’s love brings us into a designed way of life, not self-defined freedom.
4. God’s love involves discipline and correction because He cares about who we become.
5. Love is not driven by emotion but rooted in covenant commitment.
6. Love tells the unpopular truth and holds others accountable with grace.
7. Love serves and sacrifices for the good of others, not self-interest.
8. Love is painful at times, but it is always purposeful and deeply rewarding.
God is the creator of love, and love flows from who He is. We do not get to redefine it. We allow ourselves to be shaped by it. Walking in this kind of love means taking sin seriously because sin destroys us. It means honoring God’s design for marriage and relationships. It means choosing faithfulness over feelings, truth over comfort, and sacrifice over convenience.
Action: This week, you have permission to love the way God loves. Tell the truth even when it costs you. Be kind when it would be easier to be harsh. Stay committed when it gets uncomfortable. Have the hard conversation and hold one another accountable with grace. Why? Because you truly love them and want the best for them.
– Chance Elmer
Youth Pastor