What Does It Really Mean to Love God?
We’re quick to say we love God, but what does that mean? 1 Corinthians 13 gives us a biblical definition of love that looks vastly different from the selfish love we see in the world.
It’s so easy, with our strong human desires—desires to be liked, to be loved, to be accepted, to find comfort, to find peace and joy and security—it’s so easy to view God as something that can make us look good to other people, something that can allow us to think well of ourselves . . . a box to check . . . or a vending machine, someone to ask for things we can’t figure out how to get on our own. Our culture teaches us to live that way: to think about our own interests and to pursue them vigorously and earnestly.
But when we focus on ourselves first and most, that’s not love.