His Love Endures

"O give thanks to the God of Heaven, His love endures forever." (Psalm 136:26 NIV).

Many times people think they know all there is to love--even though they are often confusing love with lust--and wonder how we end up with songs like, "What's Love Got to Do With It?" by popular artists.

I was listening to a television show a few days ago and my thoughts were arrested by something a character said. She said, "A person can be in love with as many people as they want to love at any moment in time regardless of gender." This was said to justify her attraction to both males and females. My immediate reaction to that statement was to reflect upon the difference between love and lust. One of the tools Satan is using to confuse people is the misunderstanding about these two issues. In a later episode of the show, "Bones" she breaks up with the woman or rather the female breaks up with her and she marries a male character--supposedly in love.

Lust is a matter of attraction that appeals to and engages the flesh--purely sexual in nature and is all about satisfying an immediate desire, usually in the lower regions of the body.

Love is a matter  of emotional engagement when the heart is engaged--the upper regions of the body, not the lower. A person can love without physical involvement of a sexual nature, but lust demands satisfaction at any cost.

But when we really understand God's love--the love that endures forever--we can know love and understand that "real love" has little to do with fleshly desire of any kind.

Real love seeks to serve, comfort, protect, direct, guide, and correct the object of one's affection. Parents (good ones) love their children enough to provide for them, teach them, correct and model a loving relationship that endures--no matter what. Are there perfect children? No, there are no perfect children because there are no perfect people, but we keep trying.

Real love in a relationship exists whether sexual involvement exists or not. If that were not so, then every time spouses are separated for any period of time, they would be subjected to "not loving" until they were able to satisfy their urges.

An urge, a tickling, a feeling--lasts but for a moment, but love lasts beyond the moment. Until we can convince kids--those actively involved in sexual activity--that what they feel is lust and not love, we lose entire generations to the depraved influence of Satan who could care less about misuse of bodies, or diseases and deaths caused by sexual promiscuity. And this is why many kids and adults feel that "urge" can be satisfied by anyone, indiscriminately.

We, who are in relationship with God and understand how He wants us to live, need to use every available avenue to encourage others to live a life that is pleasing to Him--with lifetime benefits--rather than giving into urges for momentary pleasure. God is love and He has provided for us the platform for engaging in sexual activity within the institution of marriage. If love exists in the relationship--lust will not be an issue, but will be satisfied as God intended.

Like so many other people, I've often thought I was "in love" with others, but now I know the difference and can say it was "in lust" not love. I do know love and that love includes the love for my husband, my children, family and friends--the love that lasts a lifetime.

Encourage someone today to know God's love and allow His love to lead them to enduring happiness, that will last for more than a moment. His love endures forever!