Question of the Day: How do you define love?

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

Yesterday, we noted that we have influences in our lives who teach us about love, typically during our childhood. In word and practice, we learn from them whether love is conditional or unconditional, whether it can be truly severed, whether it can be trusted.

So now I pose the question to you: How do you define love?

Is the love you show toward your spouse, children, parents, and siblings a love that is unconditional? Will it hold fast, perhaps even deepen, during times of adversity?

Looking at it from the other direction, are you able to trust love? Do you let the love of your loved ones truly permeate your heart? Or do you not believe that their love is legitimate? Or that you are not really lovable? Or that something you can do can somehow shake their love?

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us--the godly for the ungodly, the One who had done nothing wrong for those who could never get anything right. He bore the spit and scorn of traitors like us, but cried out in love: "Forgive them."

As we now walk in the power of His Spirit, we are growing more like Him and able to unconditionally love the unlovable. And though we were unlovable, the Father loved us and sent Christ to the cross for us--knowing our sin and treachery better than we do, but forgave it for Christ's sake.