Happy Valentine’s Day! I know today is supposed to be all about love, but I have to admit, I hate what our society and the marketing gurus have done to it. From selling huge Teddy Bears or PJ’s to those who are expecting these gifts to “pay off” ~ to the absolute fortune greeting card, candy, and flower companies make “in the name of love” ~ to the horrible evil of the pornography industry, we  have to ask “What’s love got to do with it?”

For all of you who are either like me and simply hate what Valentine’s Day has come to represent, or for those who would just rather ignore it altogether, there is good news. True love has NOTHING to do with the things this world is selling ~ not Valentine cards, not sex, not even romance. True love is all about unconditional acceptance, sacrifice and giving of self for the sake of someone else.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of role models for that kind of love in this world. But thankfully, we don’t need human role models because the Ultimate Lover has taught us everything we will ever need to know about love. “Who is that?” you ask ~ the One who loves like no other. The One who sacrificed everything for love. The consummate expression of true love ~ Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:8 says that “God is Love.” And Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the “exact representation” of His Father. So, Jesus himself is the perfect picture of true love! What do we see then in Jesus to help us understand real love? Here are just a few lessons from the life of Jesus Christ.

1. True Love is sacrificial. Jesus was willing to give up His place in Heaven, equality and a perfect relationship with His Father God, and His position of majesty and power, in order to become one of us. He experienced full humanity with everything that entails: pain, sickness, physical weakness, exhaustion, and more. And if that were not enough, He was willing to suffer torture and an agonizing and undeserved death. Why? So that we – undeserving, unappreciative, unbelieving humans, could have an eternal love relationship with His Father.
2. True Love is unconditional. Jesus loved everyone he encountered, even those who hated him. He served and cared for strangers, outcasts, and the unrighteous as well as those who loved him. He loved so much that even as He hung dying on the cross, at the hands of His enemies, He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” That is unconditional love.
3. True Love is a choice. Jesus did not teach us to love only those who love us, or only when we ‘feel’ love. That kind of love is easy. When someone treats us well and loves us, it’s easy to feel love for them in return. But in a truly radical message to His followers and to us, Jesus said “Love your enemies.” (Matthew 5:44) That kind of love is a choice. That kind of love requires a decision of the will, not just an emotional response or a feeling. That is the kind of love that Jesus modeled for us while He walked this earth.

We could probably find hundreds of other examples of true love in the life of Jesus, but here is the bottom line. If we want to know what love is, we have to look to the Author of Love. We have to go to the God who IS love, and to His Son who is the “exact representation” of the Father. Only then will we truly understand what it means to love another person. Love has nothing to do with Valentines, candy, roses, or even Teddy Bears. Love is all about sacrifice, giving everything for another. That’s how God loves us. And that kind of love changes everything, even us.

When we fully understand the extent of God’s love, we can’t help but be different. Our natural response to the unconditional, amazing love of our Father God is transformation, a changed life. Do you know the love of your Father God? If you don’t, you are missing out on the only real reason for living! If you want to know more about this God who loves you unconditionally, I suggest you start by reading the Gospel of John. There you will see how Jesus loves. And then believe that He loves you too.

Do you have a story of true love? Do you want to share how God’s love has changed your life? Click on the Comments link at the top of this page to share your story! We’d love to hear from you.