Love

What a huge subject right? I think it's the ultimate message from God, the most important. I think it's the theme of the entire Bible. God IS love.

I was recently told that my church talked too much about love. I was floored. Absolutely floored. They said we focus too much on love and that we don't talk about the Bible enough. I think they go hand-in-hand. Every message we have flows from God's word. I felt attacked, they were talking about my family. But I also felt like they have missed something from all their Sunday school classes and rules and doing the "Christian" thing. Sure, obedience is important, but it flows from love. 

I just thought it would be interesting to type love into BibleGateway and see how many results came up. With the NIV alone, I got almost 700 results. 

Here are a few favorites:

Matthew 22:36-39

³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" ³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'^{b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^{c]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[c]} 

Luke 6: 32-35...

³²"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. ³⁴And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.

Ephesians 5:1-2

¹Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children ²and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

1 John 3: 18

¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 

1 John 4:8

⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Oh I could go on forever.