Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Defining Love in Relationships


By:  Dale Weckbacher

Scripture Text:  Mark 3:31-35

Mark 3:33b-34
“Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 Looking at those sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
(CSB)

It is common in the church for members to refer to each other as brothers and sisters.  This expression of love for each other has scriptural roots in Mark 3:31-35.  However, those outside the Church may view the referring of each other as brothers and sisters as some form of cult or communal relationship between people.  Unfortunately, this distorted view has its roots in a distorted or even perverted view by the secular world of what love is.  Like all deceptions from Satan, this distorted view of love prevents us from having a more loving and intimate relationship with God our Father and others. 

C.S. Lewis authored a book entitled the Four Loves in which he explores the four words for love used in the New Testament.  Since Greek is the original language of the New Testament, the study of these four words and their usage in Scripture provide insight into discovery of defining love in the various levels of relationships.  Over the next four Wednesday postings we will look at each of these four types of love as a means for discovery about how they apply to having loving relationships with our Father God, Our  immediate family, and our church family. 

The theme of love is present throughout the Gospel (John 3:16; Matthew 22:34-40; John 15:13).  The Apostle Paul, however, provides perhaps the greatest definition of Christian love in 1 Corinthians 13.  Here is a link to purchasing the C.S. Lewis book if you would like to purchase it for your library.  My prayer is that this exploration of love will enable everyone reading this, and the one writing as well, to have a greater understanding of our Heavenly Father’s love for us and help us establish biblical loving relationships in our lives. 

Please invite your friends and family to follow along and may God bless everyone reading this. 

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