"What the World Needs Now...

...is love, sweet love." That's how the song goes, isn't it? And yet what is it? I could be an honest cynic and say it's impossible, and without God, that's true. We could define love as self-sacrifice and that's a common definition for it. We think that anytime we put the needs of others over our own, we are showing love. But love goes beyond actions. It goes beyond our giving. Love is not an issue of action, but of the heart.

1 Corinthians 13 is often called the "love chapter," as love is its main theme. In the first three verses, Paul talks about the value of love and compares it to speaking well, having the gift of prophecy, having omniscience, having perfect faith, donating all his wealth to the poor, and even giving his body to be burned. And his conclusion for all of them is the same: without love, these other things mean nothing. That must mean that love is separate from any of them.

So what is it then? I think it may be beyond our comprehension, but the Bible says that a tree is known by its fruits, so verses 4-8a give us the fruit of love:

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

Look at each of those items carefully and ask yourself how often you show the fruits of love. Are you longsuffering in traffic or with your kids or family? Do you envy other people's success, relationships, or money? Do you try to get people to notice you, even when you're doing something nice? Do you have issues with pride? Do you put others down or not care about their feelings? Do you put your needs above others? Do you get angry and say things you don't mean? Do you assume the worst about others? Do you revel in sin or in the Word? Do you patiently bear your trials? Do you lose faith or hope? Do you believe love actually fails?

The answer for all of us for at least some of those questions (and probably for most or even all of them) is yes. We don't walk in love. We don't even really know what love is. We can't comprehend with our finite human minds what it's like to love someone on a deep level when we know that they hate us now and will betray us in the future. We can't understand love being given without it being earned.

Only in Christ can we be free enough from our sin and shame to walk in God's love. Only then can we accept it in the full way that God intended us to. What the world needs now is really God, sweet God.