What makes love love? I think the word “sacrifice” is the word that most often comes to mind. God gave up his Son for us. But as I think more, love is not just sacrifice. It is exclusive and absolute, meaning God not only sacrificed his Son, he sacrificed his one and only Son. Without reservations, he sacrificed everything, his best. He gave his very self.

The covenant of marriage is so meaningful and unique. You are saying yes to someone, someone, and none other. Absolutely and until the very end. That is exactly the love God gave to each one of us in Christ Jesus. And that is exactly the love he demands. Nothing less. He doesn’t want just 5 loaves and 2 fish if you’ve actually got 10 loaves and 4 fish. He doesn’t even want 99%. He wants everything you’ve got to give because that’s what he gave. It is without calculation because there is only one calculation to be made, 100%.

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

What does it look like to love God with my all? What constitutes “me” that I have to give to God? I believe the essence of man is will/desire. We decide and act based on that desire. So loving God begins with letting God be our greatest longing. We yield to him our every will and way of justifying our want and we say “God I want you. You are Lord, and I am ready to do your will.” In this sense, the bible says we are God’s servants, even slaves. A servant has no will of his own, he does exactly and only what his master desires. It sounds void of freedom, but it’s quite the contrary. When you are surrendered and submitted to the One who is perfectly good and loving, there’s actually no better place to be. He is our home, he is our freedom, he is our peace. He gave everything and as we love him back, he becomes our everything. May our fear never be to lose ourselves but to lose God.

“Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will find it.” Mark 8:37-38

I can write these beautiful words, but of course, I fall so short of loving God. I have reservations, I am weak to my petty desires, I calculate all the time. Sometimes, just reserving the first 30 minutes of my day to God seems impossible. Losing my whole life? Is it too spiritual a goal? How I need the mercy of God! O Lord, it is my desire to delight in you and love you with all. I can’t do it in my flesh, but by your Spirit, yes. Empty and renew my heart, mind, soul and body so that loving you may be my deepest longing and prayer forever. Amen.