Words of Love (Introduction)

Theme for this week: Words of Love

January 31, 2022 (Monday)

On September 27, 2021 I began using a new format for these blogs, presenting 5 blogs with a common theme each week, Today we begin the 19th week of doing it this way. Our theme this week is “Words of Love,” and each blog features a Biblical word about love.

Love is an extremely important theme in the New Testament. At the Last Supper, Jesus said to His Disciples, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35). Jesus gave us only one commandment, and this is it: “Love one another.”

C.S. Lewis wrote a book, “The Four Loves,” in 1958, in which he discussed four words for love. Those words are found in the Bible and in my blogs this week. Each day we will discuss a Greek word for love.

Today’s blog introduces the theme, “Words of Love,” and the blogs will discuss these Greek words: storge (affection), philia (friendship), eros (romantic love) and agape (charity).

(Other Greek words about love, not in the New Testament,
are: ludus [playful love] mania [obsessive love], pragma
[enduring love], and philautia [self love]. The blogs this
week will not include these words. The old saying, “the
Greeks had a word for it,” certainly applies to the
subject of love).

We will begin the study of some Greek words about love tomorrow, but first I would just like to ask you, based upon what you already know about the subject, “Do you love the Lord?” Does that question sound familiar? Do you remember reading about the time when Jesus asked Peter that same question? Jesus already knew the answer, because He knows all things. He knew that Peter loved Him, but He wanted Peter to hear himself saying it.

The song below repeats the words, “I love you, Lord.” Can you say that to the Lord today and really mean it? Are you willing to tell the Lord you love Him? Saying that to Him sincerely is to make a commitment to Him. If you love Him, you will follow Him, willing to show your love by serving Him.