HOW DO I KNOW YOU LOVE ME ‘SO MUCH’?

by Olusegun Mokuolu
(Nigeria)

Today (February 14th) is another day that people all over the world will celebrate ‘love’ in different ways and from different perspectives. One statement that may be re-echoed several times at such a time like this is “I love you so much”. One can only wonder what is meant by ‘so much’. So the question is how can I measure someone’s love for me?

Most times, the ‘I love you so much’ claim is baseless and could even be deceptive. Men who have claimed they loved their wives so much have turned around to beat that woman and abused her. Women also who have claimed to love so much have also turn around to cheat on the man and despise him. In some cases, one of the parties had turned around to actually kill their spouse. Where then has all the ‘so much’ love gone?

For us as a Christian, the answer is not farfetched. We have a unit of measurement. We have a standard of measurement. We can evaluate someone’s love and to some degree be sure how much we are loved. This can be found in the book of John chapter 13.

“And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34 GNB)”

That’s the standard for us as a Christian. To the extent to which someone loves you as Christ loves you, it is to that extent that the person loves you. Don’t be deceived by empty words. If a man does not love you as Jesus loved you, that man simply do not love you. He cannot claim to love you so much when he cannot love you as Jesus loves us. The words of the Lord are very clear, ‘As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’

In the real sense of things, only Jesus can claim to “love so much”. He is full of truth. There was no deceit in His mouth. He is full of compassion. He did not love us because of our wealth or beauty. He loved us despite our inadequacies. He corrects us when we go wrong. He draws us closer to God and sets us free from the power of sin. The interesting thing is that God wants us to love the same way Jesus loved. This love is not exclusive to Jesus. We must all love the way He loved.

When a man who claims to love you so much leads you to sin and ungodliness, you can be sure he does not love you a bit. When a man that claims he loves you so much, lies and deceive you, you can be sure he does not love you. Any person who draws you away from God and leads you into sin does not love you. The truth is that if someone loves you so much, there will be no point saying it because it would be obvious. Jesus does not need to make much noise about his love for us. By looking at the way he suffered for us, we know without a doubt that he loves us so much. His love never fails and when he gives his words, you can rest your life on it. If someone truly loves you, it will be obvious.

So it’s quite simple to determine how much someone truly loves you. Just place that person’s love side by side with Jesus’ love and what you see is what you get. Don’t get carried away any more by words of mouth or empty words. Place the person on the scale of Jesus and you can be sure of what you get. That means that a man or woman who does not love as Jesus loves cannot love in the real sense of love. He or she may be capable of having feelings and temporal affection but not the true love that Jesus commanded.

Next time someone tells you he or she loves you so much. Just bring out the scale and cross check the claim. Always remember the words of the Lord. ‘As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’ Happy Valentine’s Day!