Is there such a thing as a measuring stick or benchmark test for love? Are there clues and evidences that indicate true love?
If love is true it must somehow be reflected in how parties relate to each other. To have the other persons best in mind, not just one’s own desire’s, needs and wants, is usually a good indicator for genuine love. True love is not selfish; it rather empathizes with other’s suffering and pain and rejoices in their successes. However, there is also another side of love that may surprise you. For instance, a loving father may force his child to take bitter tasting medicine or endure the painful drill of the dentist. Is the father therefore cruel or unloving? No, he knows that the temporary suffering will ensure the greater good of health for the child. So love sometimes means to do the “unkind” thing.
One of the best known verses of the Bible tells us: “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. John 3:16 (Msg)
The giving of his own son is evidence of God’s love for all of mankind. He went through the agony of seeing his son, Jesus, suffer unspeakable pain and give his life in a cruel death, so that we could have true, whole and everlasting life.
Such love invites a response from us. How can we love Him back? Jesus himself provides the answer for us: “This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you.” John 15:13-14 (Msg)
During this season, when we especially commemorate the suffering of Jesus, let us provide evidence of our love for him, not by mentally ascending to his claims but by obeying his commands. We can only claim to love God when we are truly doing what God says!
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