Love Or Lust

Love is a confusing term these days, as people use it freely to express their feelings of endearment. Men love their cars and women their bags! It has lost its original meaning as a feeling that expresses deep desire for the person next to you. It has been denigrated to the status of lust in many ways. Therefore, the difference between lust and love appears indistinguishable. Love has different depths of meaning. On a superficial level, it expresses an attraction to the physical form of another. On a deeper level, it is a soul connection with another. At the highest level, it is a committed, non-judgmental, unconditional love for another akin to God’s love.

Lust, on the other hand, is basically a sexual love for another. Lust drives a person to commit adultery. In a sexualised world we live in, many are driven by lust. All the images we see in the media fuel the lustful desires in us. This includes the images of children who are also sexualised. No wonder sex is attractive, as it seduces us to sin. This has been the downfall of man from the beginning. David had many wives, and his son Solomon had many more! The news is covered with stories of many falling in their careers due to sexual indiscretions. Lust is, in some ways, a Satanic stronghold, as evidenced by many who are addicted to it.

Love on the other hand, is a committed decision to be in a faithful relationship. God demonstrated His love for us by sending His own Son to die for us. This is the kind of sacrificial love that we need to experience in our world today. We have many examples of such love in the people who gave up the comforts of life to serve people who are disadvantaged in many lands. In a marriage where love rules, there is never a possibility of divorce. However, this is not what we see in the world or in the church. Sadly, lust appears to be the ruling force that turns the world around. This is not just in terms of sexual lust but also in the area of finance and other ambitions. Today, let us choose to love and serve our fellow men.