For the last few days, I have been humming the theme song to the 70’s sit-com, The Love Boat. Perhaps I’m just giddy about the shocking lack of snow we have on the ground or perhaps it’s the addition of our new fur-baby (his name is Finn, he’s adorable) …whatever the reason, it feels like love is in the air.

What makes your heart sing these days? Is it a precious fur-baby, a special meal shared with friends, a call from a loved one?

While studying the book of Ephesians recently I was reminded about the Lord’s words to the Ephesian church which are recorded in the book of Revelation. Jesus said that despite all the good things they were doing, He had this charge against them: they had abandoned the love they had at first (Revelation 2:4). Apparently, love was not in the air! Presumably, there had been a time when they had deep and motivating love for Him and for one another. However, when Jesus declared these words to the Apostle John, the Ephesians were just going through the motions doing good things in His name, yet their love had grown cold.

We would be wise to view this as a stern caution to us as well. Life is busy, and if we aren’t intentional about our relationships, we can easily take people for granted, forget the love we had at first, or assume that connecting “tomorrow” is an option. But we also know that genuine relationships take time to cultivate, and there are no guaranteed tomorrows.

The same is true for our relationship with God. Jesus said to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30 CSB). This is the love we likely had when we first responded to His call of faith. This is the kind of love born out of deep gratitude for the love, grace, and mercy He has lavished upon us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is the depth of joy we have when we realize what He saved us from, and that we could not earn it. I think Psalm 31 says it well, “I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love…” (Psalm 31:7a CSB).

You see, there is no love so pure and complete as the love of God. In fact, Scripture says that God is Love (1 John 4:8, 16). Love isn’t just what He does, though He does it well, but love is His very essence. This isn’t the “anything goes, you do you” kind of counterfeit love, but the kind of love that is holy and pure. The kind of love that beckons us to higher ground and genuine joy. The kind of love that willingly sacrificed for us while we were in active rebellion against Him (Romans 5:8).

Friends, we put our best faith forward when our faith is grounded in His love. This month, take a few minutes to read 1 John 4:7-21, and then thank God for His incredibly faithful love.