You Are Loved: Finding the Source of True Love

By Pastor Steve Pierce

Let’s talk about love. What is it? So many of life’s issues revolve around this one concept. Do I deserve love? Am I loved? Why

does someone say they love me and then treat me so badly? With big questions like this, it’s best to find real answers and not to rely solely on what we think or feel. We need to find a foundation of truth as we learn about love and what true love really is. The best place to learn about love and to find the answers we are all looking for, is the source. God is that source (1 John 4:16). God’s Word spends a lot of time discussing love. Remember, when you notice God spending a lot of time on a particular topic, it should tell you to pay attention because it must be important. So, what does the Bible say about love? A lot! Here are just a few truths about love, backed up by the Scriptures.

Love is an action. Not just a word. Anyone can tell you they love you. And a lot of people do. But where is the action that shows you are loved?  Do you see acts of love or hear only words? The Bible tells us…“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18, ESV)   Serving others, being truthful and action are all part of love, not just talk.

• Love is selfless. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, ESV)

• Love connects us. “And above all these put-on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14, ESV)

• Love is good. “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:9-10, ESV)

• Love uplifts. “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:10, ESV)

• Love is obvious and endless. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” (1 Cor 13:4-7, ESV)

• You are loved. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, ESV)

• Love saves. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)

Choose to love and then give it away. Don’t withhold it or bank it away for a rainy day. Love is meant to be shared. But to be able to do that well, you first have to accept it. From the One who made it. You are loved by a Holy God who will never disappoint or fail you. People will sadly fail you at times, but God never will. You can trust in Him and in His Son. If you want to know more about love, go to the source. A great place to start in God’s Word is the book of John. Feel his love.