There used to be an old praise song that had this line in it. I used to think it originated from there. I was a kid, what can I say? Turns out, however, that it originated from here;
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:34
But is it that easy to tell?
I’m pretty sure my dog loves me, but alas, I’m also fairly sure he’s not a Christian. Come to think of it, his love is highly suspect as it usually revolves around food or a chewy or something along those lines.
Conditional. That’s the way I would describe his love.
The mark of a true believer, however, is a different kind of love. It’s found in 1 Corinthians 13. Take a look,
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. (vs. 4–8)
That’s what it looks like, gang. Anything else is a counterfeit love. But if you really want to know if you are dealing with real love it also helps to know what love is not.
Francis Chan gave a great example in his book, “Crazy Love,
“If a guy were dating my daughter but didn’t want to spend the gas money to come pick her up or refused to buy her dinner because it cost to much. I would question whether he were really in love with her. In the same way; I question whether many American church goers are really in love with God because they are so hesitant to do anything for Him.”
Are you a Christian? Or a Christ follower? Sadly, today there is a huge gap between the two. Christians can go either way. Christ followers really love Him.
Just some thoughts.