Before our first child Ben was born, my mother told me that even though I didn’t know how I would be able to love another person as much as I love Kristina, the greatness of that love I’d have for him would make its way into my heart. And she repeated that advice each time we had another kid, I didn’t know how I could love someone as much as I loved them, and then they were born and sure enough, the power of love changed my heart over and over again.

Love has the power to change all of us. Perhaps this is why love is stressed by God so many times in the Scriptures. It is used 362 times in 323 verses of the Bible. Love is best described by the apostle John, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:7-11). 

It is the power of love that brings people from different backgrounds together, the shared love they have of God and His Son unites us as one, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:27-29).

It is the power of love that puts out the fires of anger toward one another, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins” (Proverbs 10:12), “He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends” (Proverbs 17:9).

The power of love cannot be ignored! If we are really trying to change who we are and influence those around us, loving one another is a good place to start!

By: Justin Odom