It's really not all that complicated...

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 (NIV)













Love is an innate emotion in all human beings. Evidence that God is in all of us.

Yes, that's right. I'm in complete disagreement with Robert Plutchick's Wheel of Emotions which has dominated academic opinion on the matter of basic emotions since the 1980's. Bob believes trust is the emotion that initially bonds a child with their parents and only the addition of joy with trust can love then be created.

I don't know that Bob's an atheist, but if it sounds like a duck...

What I do know is the words love, joy and trust each hold a fundamental place with me personally that fit into the equation of faith. There are other variables in that equation if you want to be all scientific about it, but Paul's letter to the church in Corinth states that love, faith and hope will endure for eternity, and that love is the greatest of the three (1 Corinthians 13:13).

By the way, that fits perfectly into God is love.

The word love and variations like loved or loves are mentioned 442 times in the KJV and 697 in the NIV of the Bible. The name of God appears over 4,000 times in each. Is that significant? Not really...because each of the 807,361 words making up the Holy Bible are derived from God.

...and God is love.

I earnestly try to live every single day of my life with the impression of 1 John 4:8 stamped on my heart. Sure. There are days that I come up way short of that goal. I need to learn to be more tolerant of people like Bob Plutchick for one because God doesn't qualify whom I should love in His Word. I'm just commanded to love.

He sets the ultimate example of love for me when He came to Earth for my benefit...