The red foil rapped heart boxes and mountains of chocolate cherries seemed to shout the announcement of the season of love. It’s time to order roses and reserve dinner for two. Ready or not the marketing of big business has pressured every individual to consider his or her love life one way or another. Whether it is like Donny Osmond’s song many years ago “It’s puppy love” or the love of your life for so many years it’s time to “show the love”.

The Beatle’s song, “All you need is love…” is only true if you define “Love” as the Bible says in I Jn 4:7-8, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

We can accomplish the greatest achievements in the world but if we don’t love others with God’s love it is useless   (tweet)

It’s when we begin to allow songs, poems, as well as our own feelings to define love that it can get distorted and totally off base. God Himself is love and when we identify and reflect Him then we will begin to act like He is. In other words we will bear fruit (Gal 2:22) and show evidence of being grafted in the “Vine”(Jn. 15:5). God made us with desires and feelings to be able to fulfill His will in the earth. He Himself is a God of relationships. But, only through His statutes and plan can they keep pure and whole. When we move outside of His plan then our love can easily turn into a sensual and lustful action, which will bring hurts and rejection and all types of problems.

Paul wrote to those who were desiring to follow Jesus in 1 Cor. 13:1 saying, “If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.” Paul goes on by letting them know if they even thought they were super spiritual or a giving person, but weren’t motivated with God’s love flowing through them there was no value in their actions. A matter of fact, he calls it a clanging irritating noise. We can accomplish the greatest achievements in the world but if we don’t love others with God’s love it is really useless.

I love to listen to a person that is accomplished in music. It seems that they can make music with whatever they put their hands to, whether they use spoons, tapping of their fingers or anything in front of them. They can make beautiful music. But how about your when your spouse is frustrated at you? The cabinet doors begin to slam, the pots and pans start clanging and making a loud attention-grabbing gong, right? That’s not the sound of love at all. It’s a repulsive hurtful noise. It’s far from being the music of love to your ears.

Paul goes on to define what God’s love looks like when it flows from us to others. He says, it’s patient and kind, not jealous or arrogant and doesn’t demand it’s own way. It’s definitely not rude, irritable, self-promoting or even unforgiving, but is overflowing with justice, faith, hope and endurance. God’s love will never fail (1 Cor. 13:4-8). God’s entire kingdom is established on love (Matt 22:37-40) because He Himself is love (1 Jn. 4:8).

I encourage you to read God’s love Letter to you, the Bible, so you know what LOVE sounds like! It will change your world along with those around you!