One of my favorite musical groups is the Grammy and Dove award winning Christian band, dc Talk and I often listen to their song “Luv is a verb”. A verb implies action and so what could the verb ‘Love’ imply?
The word ‘Love‘ can be substituted by the word ‘Give‘. Irish missionary and founder of the missionary school, Santhosha Vidhyalaya, where I schooled from Kindergarten to Fifth grade, in her biography is quoted to have said “You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving.” “To love” means “To give.”
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:23). In other words, If we love Jesus, not only will we GIVE our lives for Him but we will also GIVE UP our lives for Him and in doing so, we will keep His commandments.
The two greatest commandments which is to Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind and to Love your neighbor as you would love yourself (Matthew 22:37-39), can be rephrased to express “Give to the Lord your God, all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” and “Give to your neighbor (one another) what you would like to be given to yourself.” Love is a verb and that is to “give.”
God so LOVED the world, that he GAVE, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ for the redemption and salvation of mankind (John 3:16).
You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving.
