Love is a verb

Isn’t the word “LOVE” interesting?

As a noun it refers to an intense affection for another person, but it is also a verb, implying that action is taken.

Christ makes reference to both aspects in the gospel by saying first, "Remain in my love." (John 15:9) There is also the direction from Christ that this love requires an ongoing action, namely that we keep the commandments of God, as He did. (John 15:10) This latter aspect might sound like a rather passive role, but most of the time it also takes a lot of action.

Take for example a marriage. As I told the young woman in my store the other day, I love my wife. I have always loved my wife. I continue to love my wife. But love doesn’t just happen. We have to work at love. Love takes respect, honor, and sacrifice to stay fresh. Love has to be nourished spiritually as well as physically. Many marriages are failing these days because we forget that love is a verb, or worse yet—we confuse “love” with “sex”. But unlike “sex”, love never grows old.

Another example would be driving a car. A person might brag or state that they had driven twenty-five years without ever having an accident, but that doesn't just happen automatically. It takes all kinds of action and reaction on the part of the driver. If we never encountered obstacles on the road, or never had emotional temptations such as anger while driving, it might seem quiet and uneventful, but this isn't the way it is. Also like a driver starting a trip, we need to fortify ourselves for the "journey." We need spiritual nourishment, we need rest, and we need direction and holy friends along the way.

Remaining in the love of Christ and keeping the commandments of God are beautiful goals. But these do not happen automatically. I must also ask myself, "What am I doing to assure that both goals are primary goals of my life, and that I will continue to work at those goals?"