Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7-12)

My favorite example of a love song is by former-Beatle Paul McCartney who wrote "Silly Love Songs" in response to John Lennon's critique (post-Beatle) that all Paul wrote were "silly love songs." Sir Paul commenced to write a number one best selling song at that point in response to the critique.

I began googling "love overuse in music." "Love" is one of the most misused, overused, abused, and confused words in the English language and most other languages as well dating back to early recorded history. I was hit immediately with a list of articles by cynics who, like me, believe we have hammered the word "love" into a word of mush, meaning whatever its user wants it to mean at the time.

If you are like me, I counted how many times John used the word in the passage starting the devotion. I count 13 in a quick scan. Doesn't matter, when it comes to "love," John is consistent in its use. John 3:16, possibly one of the better known verses in the Bible (Psalm 23 being the best known by far), "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will have everlasting life" to John 15:13, "No greater love has this, that a man should lay down his life for another." As much as John uses love, the study notes indicate Paul uses love more, his classic 1 Corinthians 13 being one of the more familiar.

Our final attribute for God is love. Our God is a God of love.

The Greek form of love used with God is agape, the Hebrew is chesed (hard H). God's love is sacrificial, given without condition. He gave His Son as a ransom payment for our bondage to sin (1 John 2 - agape love). He clearly indicates in Exodus of His steadfast love (chesed) in Exodus 34:5-7: "Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." God made a covenant with His people to deliver them, and us, from this bondage to sin. We hear the phrase "steadfast love" used in the Old Testament which is in reference to this "covenant love."

God is a God of love, who loves His creation in ways we cannot fathom. He loves us, and as John notes, we love one another, His love abides in us and His love is perfected in us. As husbands, fathers, sons, brothers and friends, we pray we show this love to those around us, praying that Christ's love shine in and through us to those we know and love. Pray we love because He first loved us.