TUESDAY
Next, we come to the overused phrase in our culture today—”I love you.” This phrase is too important to the church for us to cede it to the whimsical definitions of the culture. We must preserve its rich meaning in the church.
We cannot overstate the significance of love in the Christian life.
1 John 4:8 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:19–21 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
1 John 3:16–18 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
The two greatest commandments are to love:
Matthew 22:36–40 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Love is so important that we should remind one another that we love one another deeply.
1 Thessalonians 2:7b–8 7 Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
This love leads us to even say the hard things.
2 Corinthians 2:4 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
This shared love should give us great joy and encouragement in life.
Philemon 7 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.