LOVE IS...by Cathy Westmoreland

Years ago, there was a newspaper cartoon titled, love is...and everyday it would tell something love was. Such as, love is...cooking pinto beans for your husband or love is...getting flowers for no special reason. I actually clipped them from the paper and taped them into a book. They made me smile! Love is many things to different people. 

Found at http://loveiscomix.com/20080219/

Many times, I find myself using the word love too loosely. I might say, "I love french fries" or "I love lemonade." Yes, I like those things very much. In fact, too much! Ha! But love? Too often in our society, we use that four letter word with little thought of what it really means. I am guilty!  

My BIBLE tells me that GOD is love. 1 John 4:16. He loved you and me so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins so that we might have eternal life if we believed in HIM and repented of our sins. I have found the true, forgiving, nurturing eternal love of Jesus Christ. I have real joy in my heart and that makes me smile.  

Because He lives in me, He expects me to demonstrate His unconditional love. He expects me to be a walking and talking definition of love. My favorite scripture verse is Mark 12:30.."And you shall love the LORD with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." That means I need to love HIM with every ounce of my being.

Love is a command given to us by GOD. His word says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." I have said, "I like my neighbors," but I am commanded to love them. If I loved them, I would be more concerned about their eternal future. I have fallen short...I have not prayed consistently by name for them or shared my faith consistently with each family on my block as I should have already done. It's never too late to ask forgiveness and then obey His command. I need to have a deeper urgency to share His love before it's too late.   

We love because He first loved us!  1 John 4:19