What's Love Got to Do With It?

by Pastor Tim Howard

Love songs abound! No matter what age you are or what decade you were born, lyrics have been put to music and love songs have been sung. Do you remember: “What the World Needs Now is Love (sweet love)” by Jackie Deshannon? “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge? “When I Fall in Love” by Nat King Cole? “All We Need is Love” by the Beatles? “A Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins? “Love me Tender” by Elvis Presley? “All Out of Love” by Air Supply? Then the song by Tina Turner, released in 1993 which addressed the abusive relationship she experienced in the early years of her marriage “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”

The Bible tells us that love has everything to do with everything we do! If you turn to 1 Corinthians 13 you will read these words: “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.”

Since love is so important it’s imperative that we sort through the lies and discover what true love really is. If you merely look and listen to our culture you may very well have a distorted view of love and live a very dysfunctional life. When you look at the rate of divorce in our society, love doesn’t seem to last, it fades. At times love seems blind because people make dumb decisions based on an emotional counterfeit love. Then we hear individuals talking about falling in and out of love as if love is something that happens by accident rather than choice.

1 Corinthians 13 gives great insight into God’s love. Since 1 John 4:7 tells us that God is love, He needs to be the beginning point to understanding love in the truest sense. “Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, doesn't have a swelled head, doesn't force itself on others, isn't always "me first," doesn't fly off the handle, doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything. Love trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end.”

Three things will help you make it through the dark and difficult times of life . Faith, hope and love but love is the greatest. Faith so you will be able to fulfill your purpose. Hope so that tomorrow will bring you closer to your destiny. Love for God and mankind so that you will be connected to those who can strengthen you.

If we commit ourselves to loving each other God’s way, we will rediscover the power of God’s love. The answer to “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” is EVERYTHING! Why not visit one of the many church families in Kings County this weekend and discover the God who loves you.