God Is Love, But How?

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God Is Love, But How?

Love is a beautiful and, yet, confusing word. The word “love,” like many other words in English, has a range of meaning. The two most prominent meanings for love are: 

(1) An expression of intense and deep affection for another person (e.g., spouse, child, family, friends, etc.)

(2) an expression of interest and/or pleasure in something (e.g., the Saints, fishing, hunting, gumbo, brownies, etc.). 

Sadly, in today’s society these above definitions have been conflated. Case in point is the common phrase: “God is love.” When I hear someone say, “God is love,” I immediately think, “what does s/he mean by ‘God is love?’” In my opinion, the phrase “God is love” is oftentimes a conflation of the above two types of love and has nothing to do with “love” being an attribute of God. In fact, oftentimes the phrase, “God is love,” says more about the person speaking than the creator of the universe.

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Resting in God's Security

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Resting in God's Security

Psalm 121 is entitled, “My Help Comes from the Lord,” which is very significant. Many believe that David wrote this Psalm as he was in the midst of traveling, and staying out of harms way from the battle around him. Although this could refer to physical protection, more importantly, it refers to spiritual protection. This Psalm refers to the security and protection that God gives to those who cry out to him and those who look upon him. When one’s posture is positioned toward God rather than themselves, there is a promise of security and protection. This promise, as the Psalm says, is that “the Lord will keep us.” “He will not let our feet be moved.” There is something special and significant about knowing that our life is secure and stable, regardless of the circumstances and trials that we face. This may not mean that things will always go our way and that trials will not come, but it does mean that we are not defined by those things and God can work through them.

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