Defining Love without a Greek Dictionary

Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel. Sometimes we are. No, we'd never deny that we believe in Jesus or argue that the cross is not enough. But when skeptical friends and co-workers question the love of God because of one tragic crisis or another, sometimes we just let their questions slide. We nod sympathetically as though the answer is indeed hard to find. But it's not.

I John 3:16 instructs us, "This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us." When God decided to act out his love and make a course correction in mankind's mindless rush to destruction, he intervened by sending his son to die on the cross. That was the ultimate expression of love and was, in addition, the only divine adjustment that would be required. The power of the cross is still working its way through the Earth, one life at a time.

After Hurricane Katrina reduced the Gulf Coast to third world status, some rolled their eyes and asked "Where is God?" God must have been many places saving lives in a cataclysm that destroyed so many and yet killed so very few. But he was surely evident in the tens of thousands of Christians, churches and agencies that engulfed the area for years to come, cleaning up rubble, rebuilding houses, encouraging men and women. And he is surely ministering now through all the new churches springing up in the area, led by prophets and pastors who have relocated from more comfortable regions to lift up the cross in New Orleans.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees has been a huge source of inspiration to people working hard to reassemble their lives along the Gulf Coast. I would even venture to say that God is evident in that. In his new book, Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity, Brees writes that God called him and his wife to that area for this very time. Think about it.

We sometimes pray as though God is obligated to prove his love every few minutes by rescuing us from our sinful choices, our difficult days, every unpleasant shadow that falls across your pathway or mine. Think again. Sometimes God's love is made evident by the good things that result in our lives from the hardships we overcome through faith.

Let's be careful not to suggest an attitude towards God, "Thanks for the cross. But what have you done for me lately?" The cross is still doing great things. And let's not forget the rest of that statement from 1 John 3:16. "And we must in turn give ours lives for our fellow Christians." Whenever I find myself wondering what love requires, I don't need to look for a dictionary- not even a Greek lexicon. Love is Jesus dying on the cross, and the rest of us doing the same for our friends.

Selah.