Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” – Matthew 22:37-39
Well, it’s that time of year again when the word love becomes a shout out for advertisers and as a result it’s true meaning becomes diluted. It seems as though every other commercial is about somebody falling in love with a something rather than a somebody. Let me remind us of some examples you might have seen:
Clutching a bed sheet, the attractive lady appearing on the zillionth commercial of the day from the My Pillow Guy, exclaims, “I love my Giza dream sheets!”
Almost on cue, the one that follows on its heals shows two enthusiastic actors pitching a new IPhone. The female can’t quit jumping up and down as she yells out, “Don’t you just love it? Don’t you love it?” He responds, of course, with the expected, “Yes, I love it!”
And then there’s the commercial showing an extremely trim young lady beginning her workouts on the gift of a $2500 Peloton exercise bicycle from her husband, and then telling him at the end of the year how much she loved it because she felt so much better about herself.
The cream of this year’s crop, however, belongs to a vehicle ad, where a couple of millennials are shown standing in front of their very expensive home as he presents Christmas gifts for each of them: an SUV for her and a truck for himself. She quickly grabs the keys and identifies the truck as hers saying, “I love it!” Taken back he tries to explain that the truck was intended for him but she cries out again, “I love it!” End of story. So much for Materialism 101.
Now this is a far cry from how the the Bible expresses love. In contrast the Scripture uses only three words for love and never do either point to something material. “Agape” is the most popular and refers to the highest form of love that exists, the love of God for man and of man for God (John 13:34-35; 1 John 4:8). “Phileo” is the second word and points to a warm personal affection for someone, i.e., a brotherly and friendship type of relationship. “Storge” is the least used but expresses a familial love such as the love of a parent towards offspring and vice versa.
Yes, material things can be fun and enjoyable. I like my car. But a love affair? Please! Material pleasures ultimately do not satisfy. Wouldn’t it be better to delight in the love of God and then give it to others (Romans 5:5)?
The late Billy Graham once said, “We must share what God has given us. And the greatest need that the world has is that we share our love.” Rick Warren echoed the same sentiments: “Love leaves a legacy. How you treat other people, not your wealth or accomplishments, is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth.”
Now that kind of love has eternal value. Every other kind is is temporary at best. Maranatha!
