Love Applied

The Holy Spirit moved upon my heart today, and showed me another way that love is defined Biblically.  I was thinking about how often we I hear love spoken of as this free-floating thing that, if applied, can do know wrong. 

Yet, with any scrutiny at all, we see that our love is complex.  It isn’t unified.  Our loves compete, and we have to make choices everyday about which love is greater.  Our love for ourselves, and our own comfort is constantly at war with our love for others.  Someone’s love for drugs can have detrimental effects on their love for their family.  Our love for county can cause us to override our general love for our neighbor, and result in war.  The love of anything more than God is idolatry. 

It is a simple concept, but one I have not fully realized until now.  That is that God doesn’t just say that love is great.  He says that, but when asked about what the greatest commandment is, He doesn’t just say fill your heart with love like some Disney character or member of the Beatles.  No, He sets up the hierarchy for love up for you to see.  “Love the Lord your God with all your soul, all your heart, and all your might” then follows up with, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 

In summary, the main thing that is clear is that love, in and of its self, is not wholly good.  It is only good when applied correctly.