The other day I was thinking about different kinds of ideas or trends that would be of
interest to write about and of course I started focusing on the subject of love.
With Valentine’s Day still fresh in my memory and all of the accompanying mushy stuff associated with it, the idea struck me. It was out of the blue, right in the middle of my thoughts and meditations about the different kinds of love: God’s love, brotherly love, and familial love, that I remembered a song. No, it wasn't the latest worship chorus that would so eloquently proclaim my love for my Lord and Savior, or even His immeasurable love for me. It was in fact the old secular song by Robert Palmer, Addicted to Love. As I reminisced about this secular musical memory, it occurred to me that all of us are addicted to love. The important thing is – what is the focus of this addiction? Is it God? Is it our spouse or children, or ourselves? I would like to share some thoughts from God about this most important subject and I prayerfully hope to help all of us to focus our devotion in the right direction.
interest to write about and of course I started focusing on the subject of love.
With Valentine’s Day still fresh in my memory and all of the accompanying mushy stuff associated with it, the idea struck me. It was out of the blue, right in the middle of my thoughts and meditations about the different kinds of love: God’s love, brotherly love, and familial love, that I remembered a song. No, it wasn't the latest worship chorus that would so eloquently proclaim my love for my Lord and Savior, or even His immeasurable love for me. It was in fact the old secular song by Robert Palmer, Addicted to Love. As I reminisced about this secular musical memory, it occurred to me that all of us are addicted to love. The important thing is – what is the focus of this addiction? Is it God? Is it our spouse or children, or ourselves? I would like to share some thoughts from God about this most important subject and I prayerfully hope to help all of us to focus our devotion in the right direction.
When we try to exalt anyone to the level that God alone need occupy, the result will always be spiritually and emotionally disastrous.
In Genesis we see that mankind was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26, 27). Since God is love, I believe He has instilled in all of us the desire and ability to love and be loved. None of us will feel satisfied until we are first unconditionally loved by another, and we have someone or something we can love in return. But there is a problem that will assuredly arise because of our fallen nature. It is when we attempt to give all of our affections to anything or anyone smaller than God in order to earn the love we crave.
First of all, we must realize that there is no singular thing that is worthy or capable of fully and perfectly receiving and reciprocating our love. When we affix our affection on things, we will inevitably end in broken hearted failure. Unfortunately, Satan has so twisted our sense of reality that the attachment of our affection to these temporary fixations has taken precedence in our lives in epidemic proportions. Sadly there is hardly any difference in this dilemma between the Christian and non-Christian communities, even though we as Christians should know better. Unbelievers are blinded and driven by their un-regenerated natures and can hardly be expected to behave differently until the Spirit of God begins to draw them to Him.
We also must realize that there is no other person that can completely fulfill the
longing for love except the One who put it there. Even the ones we love the most,
that God in His infinite wisdom and grace have placed in our lives, must not take the
place in our hearts reserved only for Him. When we try to exalt anyone to the level that God alone need occupy, the result will always be spiritually and emotionally disastrous. If you have been on Facebook or one of the other popular social sites, you can see this skewed obsession for affection everywhere. People will post, tweet, or broadcast practically anything to garner some type of affection. We will get upset if we do not get enough likes, visits, or comments. This whole system is doomed to disappoint anyone due to the transient nature of our attention. We only have the coolest pic, the sagest quotation of wisdom, or the most interesting adventure caught on video, until the next guy or gal catches the rapt attention of our audience for the next few minutes. We were created for a love that is so much more permanent than can be found in anyone or anywhere on this earth outside of the love of our Savior.
So during this month of celebrating love and beyond, I sincerely pray that we will
receive the unprecedented, free and eternal love that has been so graciously and
extravagantly displayed at Calvary on our behalf. God loved us enough to pay the
insurmountable cost of our sin and impute to us His perfection. As we meditate on His unconditional love for us and make sure that our love for Him is the primary focus, we will find that there is more than enough love for us, so we can freely share, just as He has done for us all.
We also must realize that there is no other person that can completely fulfill the
longing for love except the One who put it there. Even the ones we love the most,
that God in His infinite wisdom and grace have placed in our lives, must not take the
place in our hearts reserved only for Him. When we try to exalt anyone to the level that God alone need occupy, the result will always be spiritually and emotionally disastrous. If you have been on Facebook or one of the other popular social sites, you can see this skewed obsession for affection everywhere. People will post, tweet, or broadcast practically anything to garner some type of affection. We will get upset if we do not get enough likes, visits, or comments. This whole system is doomed to disappoint anyone due to the transient nature of our attention. We only have the coolest pic, the sagest quotation of wisdom, or the most interesting adventure caught on video, until the next guy or gal catches the rapt attention of our audience for the next few minutes. We were created for a love that is so much more permanent than can be found in anyone or anywhere on this earth outside of the love of our Savior.
So during this month of celebrating love and beyond, I sincerely pray that we will
receive the unprecedented, free and eternal love that has been so graciously and
extravagantly displayed at Calvary on our behalf. God loved us enough to pay the
insurmountable cost of our sin and impute to us His perfection. As we meditate on His unconditional love for us and make sure that our love for Him is the primary focus, we will find that there is more than enough love for us, so we can freely share, just as He has done for us all.
John Clark
John Clark is a husband to Julie, a father of one son living in Valrico, Florida. He has an Associate Degree of Theology from Life Christian University, and serves at Life Center of Brandon where he is a teacher and writer.
