Read today’s passages: John 3:16 and 1 John 4:7-10
This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
We have talked about how we are called to love others for the past few weeks. However, this week we will look at love a little differently. We are going to talk about how much God loves us. In Pastor Loida’s sermon this past weekend, she spoke about how inadequate the English language is when it comes to the word love. There is just one word for love. In other languages, there are two, three, four, or even more words for love. I looked it up, and Sanskrit wins with 96 different words for love.
- Sneha: Maternal love or affection.
- Kama: Erotic or amorous love. You might recognize this word from the title of the famous ancient text, the Kama Sutra.
- Anurakti: Passionate love or attachment.
- Rati: This word originally meant to enjoy or delight in something or someone. The meaning has evolved to imply a physical desire or love.
- Priya: Meaning “darling” or “beloved”, Priya is a common given name for girls in India and Nepal.
I believe that in all these languages, though, no word comes close to how much God loves us. It is one of those things that are beyond our understanding. A deep and powerful love that is far beyond any love. God’s love is real love; all others just strive to get close.
So What Activity: Think about how you use the word “love” in daily conversations. Do you often replace the word “like” with “love”? I like to read…I love to read. How could you make the word “love” a little more special in your life? What would it mean for you to reserve the word “love” for items that have something to do with love. I mean, I like to read, but love…love is something more profound. 🙂
Blessings,
Kristyne
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