In my apartment in China, I had a scroll with the three Chinese characters for “faith, hope and love” hanging on my wall. It got a lot of attention.  

“Did you write that?” Flattering. 

“Why those 3 feelings?” Conversation starter. 

Comments on love far out-numbered the other two. Perhaps teaching predominately female freshmen English classes had something to do with this. Sometimes I asked them to define love and giggling they gave examples from the Titanic to Korean soap operas to countryside grandmothers. Someone inevitably got out their threadbare pocket dictionary (and later their phones) to see how Webster defined it. 

“An intense feeling of deep affection or great interest and pleasure in something.”

In the Easter message I heard this year, the pastor asked us to move past this definition and focus on how God defines love.  

As I pondered his talk three things hit me. 

- God’s definition is all about Him. “We love because He first loved us.” “This is how God showed His love among us. He sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us.” 

- The Bible holds very specific descriptions. I Corinthians 13 alone gives us many responses to ‘what is love?’ It’s patient, kind, isn’t easily angered and doesn’t boast or keep a record of wrongs, to name a few.

- We’re not to hold onto this love. The I John passage continues, “Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” How? Hebrews 10:24 gives us some no-nonsense direction. “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Other translations use stir, encourage and surprisingly, provoke and incite! None are passive or controlling.  

I Corinthians 13 helps me do this. Did my words help someone be kind? Was that response an example showing my listeners my list of wrongs? In the meeting was my joke leading others to laugh at something dishonest? 

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus. Sorry Daniel Webster, but so much more than a feeling of affection.