Love, What is it?

By Bro. Robert Green – October 23, 2025, Thursday Evening Revival Service

“Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” (1 John 3:1)

That verse has long stirred my heart. It is more than poetic—it is the center of the Christian life. Love is a word our world repeats often yet understands so little. Tonight, I want to ask the question plainly: What is love?

Love is not a passing feeling or sentiment. It is the life force of every godly relationship—between husband and wife, parent and child, saint and Savior. Without love, life is motionless. Without the love of God, even joy and laughter lose their warmth.

A Personal Love Story

I can tell you a love story. It began with a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who caught my eye in the hills of West Virginia. Her name was Amy. I remember her walking up our driveway at my fifth birthday party when I had just gotten a white bicycle with blue rubber tires. Years later, she watched from her school window for the “fat boy coming out of the band room.” We grew up, courted under the guidance of our parents, and longed for the day we could be married. There were tests of patience, lessons in faith, and seasons of waiting. But that waiting, too, was love. When the day came—April 27, 2002—our faith and hope became sight as a pure young woman walked down the aisle to meet a pure young man, and together we made a covenant before God. That covenant still stands.

Life changes, but love shouldn’t.

Labor without love is drudgery; labor with love is joy. Work doesn’t feel like work when it’s done with a heart full of love. It’s the difference between surviving and living. I’ve found that the Lord even helps with the practical things when love is in the work. There was a time in my job when I spent two and a half days chasing a mechanical problem. I prayed, and the Lord nudged me to look inside a fuel tank—something that seemed foolish until I saw the problem bubbling right before my eyes. That gentle prompting was love in action.

Love transforms duty into devotion. The same is true in our service to God. If our labor for the Lord isn’t fueled by love, it becomes mechanical; but when it is, it becomes worship. Listening without love is just sound. It’s noise without meaning. But listening with love brings understanding. We often think of love as an act of speaking or doing, but it is also an act of hearing. When we value what is said—and who says it—our ears become instruments of grace. This is as true in marriage and family as it is in the congregation. Husbands, sometimes your wife’s fears seem small to you—but if you don’t listen with love, you drive a wedge. Wives, sometimes your husband just wants to tell you how a hydraulic pump works. Listen anyway; love listens. The same is true in church. If we come to service only to “put in time,” we miss God’s voice. But if we come hungry, listening with love, we grow.

The Definition and Source of Love

Webster defines love as being pleased with, to regard with affection because of qualities which excite pleasing sensations.But that only scratches the surface. True love is not born of preference—it is born of Christ. We know how to love only because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Every expression of love—whether between husband and wife, parent and child, or saint and stranger—is rooted in that divine example.

It takes three to make a marriage: a man, a woman, and God. When God is central, love is secure. When He is absent, self takes the wheel and love loses direction. Romans 11 paints a beautiful picture of God’s inclusive love. The Jews turned away, and God grafted in the Gentiles—not to exclude anyone, but to show that His love was available to whosoever will. We are branches grafted into the holy tree of God. None of us earned our place; grace placed us there. The same love that saved us calls us to humility. There’s no boasting in love, because everything we have has been given to us. When we forget that, we risk becoming like Israel—complacent in privilege, unmoved by grace.

Complacent Love and the Rocking Chair

Amos warned, “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion.” (Amos 6:1) Every generation has its rocking chair—a place of comfort that keeps us from action.

Children must be taught to move from ease to effort. Adults must resist spiritual laziness. Saints must beware of settling for “good enough.” Churches die not from persecution, but from comfort. Love that sits still becomes complacency; love that moves becomes revival.

Parents, don’t let your devices raise your children. Don’t let work steal the hours meant for family. Show your children what love looks like by how you live, not just what you say. Your sons and daughters will think life is whatever you model. Let them see you pray, forgive, say “I’m sorry,” and love God with consistency. If our children learn to love God in spite of us, we have failed them.

Older saints, don’t retire from the work of love. The younger ones need your testimony, your prayers, your example. “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age.” (Psalm 92:14) Love isn’t an emotion that sits in a pew—it’s a movement that stands up. It’s the believer saying, “What can I do?” Love visits the sick, mentors the young, prays for the hurting, and witnesses to the lost. It doesn’t wait for convenience. The Lord may nudge your heart to invite a coworker, a neighbor, or a friend. Don’t hesitate; love moves when prompted. Because one day in eternity, the Lord may show us a soul who’s there because we got up out of our rocking chair and acted.

Real love isn’t fragile. It bears, believes, hopes, and endures. (1 Corinthians 13:7) It stands firm through affliction. Paul said, “We are fools for Christ’s sake… being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it.” (1 Corinthians 4:10–12) That kind of endurance only comes from divine love. Christ didn’t abandon His cross; He endured it out of love for us. That same love should compel us to endure the crosses we must bear.

“Whatever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” (Colossians 3:23)Serving God is like a savings account—the more you invest, the more He returns. If you give half-heartedly, you receive half the blessing. But when you pour out your whole heart—your time, your resources, your energy—God fills you back up in ways you cannot measure.

Love is not for the lazy. It costs something. But when it costs you, it becomes real.

A Call to Rise

We’ve rocked long enough. The Church doesn’t need spectators—it needs laborers. The home doesn’t need critics—it needs examples. The world doesn’t need another sermon—it needs saints who live love in motion.

I pray that when my life is done, I won’t be found still sitting in the chair of ease. I want to stand in the power of God’s love, still active, still giving, still growing. Because love that moves changes everything.

Scripture Reference List

1. 1 John 3:1 – The foundation of divine love; believers are called God’s children through His love.

2. 1 Corinthians 13:7 – Defines the endurance and selflessness of true love.

3. Matthew 22:37–40 – The greatest commandments hinge on love for God and neighbor.

4. Romans 11:11–24 – Illustrates God’s inclusive love, grafting Gentiles into His covenant.

5. Amos 6:1 – Warns against complacency and ease among God’s people.

6. Psalm 92:14–15 – Encourages fruitful spiritual life even in old age.

7. 1 Corinthians 4:10–13 – Paul models endurance through love in suffering.

8. Colossians 3:23–24 – Calls believers to wholehearted service done in love.

9. John 3:16 – The measureless love of God for the whole world.

Reflective Questions

1. What areas of my life or service have drifted from active love into comfortable complacency?

2. When I serve, give, or help, is it with a joyful heart—or simply out of habit or duty?

3. Am I truly hearing the hearts of those around me—my spouse, children, church family, and God—or just letting words pass by?

4. What proof does my life give that I’ve been grafted into God’s love?

5. Who might God be nudging me to reach out to?