Bible Loves

Larry R. Ping II

To love something or somebody is to show what or who we are devoted to. True love never lies and only serves to highlight what we are most affectionate about.

The Word of God talks of those who are "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (II Timothy 3:4). Specifically, Paul talked of a man named Demas who "loved this present world" (II Timothy 4:10). What, and who do you love? Upon who or what do you set your uppermost affections? Consider.

First and foremost, we are to "love the Lord thy God with all of thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37). To prove our love to Him, we must keep His "commandments" (John 14:15). We must understand this: We cannot get to Heaven without loving God, and we cannot love God without keeping His commandments. How are you loving God?

We also are commanded to "love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:39). There are times when we are very good about being concerned only with ourselves. Yet, the Bible warns that we are to have others in the forefront of our minds. We are to "please" our "neighbor" and not "ourselves" (Romans 15:2). We are to look on the "things of others" (Philippians 2:4). How are you loving others?

An elder is a man who is a "lover of good men" (Titus 1:8). We all ought to love those who do good and in turn, help us get to Heaven. We are warned about having "evil communications (company)" which corrupt "good manners" (I Corinthians 15:33). The wise man wrote "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Proverbs 13:20). We ought to long to be with men and women of faith who share the common goal of Heaven. Are you loving these kinds of people?

Are you a lover of those things that are good, and those people that are good? If your true love was apparent, what would the rest of the world see? Be sure it would be those things discussed in this article.