The Proof is in the Pudding…

Like, Lust, Love… Is there a difference? In our day and time, it appears that there is only degrees of, not true differences, all defined by feelings.

For instance… like is defined as; 1) find agreeable, enjoyable, or satisfactory 2) wish for; want; feel about or regard… as a noun; the things one likes or prefers:

Lust is usually paired with sex… very strong sexual desire: but is also defined as  a passionate desire for something:

And Love… an intense feeling of deep affection: a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone: affectionate greetings conveyed to someone on one’s behalf… as a verb; like very much; find pleasure in:

Granted, this is not a deep study of these words but then does it matter. How often in our day do we find ourself or anyone else concerned with the accuracy and/or transparency of our speech? I would suggest that most of us prefer to decide for ourselves what was meant in any particular conversation we encounter. In the case of like, lust or love, we desperately need to believe that we are likable… lusted after… lovable even if it is just “a little”. So, if we base our definitions on an unmeasurable emotion (a person with NO emotions is COMATOSE) which changes when the wind blows, we can then interchange the three words as the need arises to keep our fan club satisfied and the lie intact that we return in equal amounts, their feelings of like, lust and love in our mutual state of dependency.

I wanted to stay in the very SHALLOW end of the pool of meaning… defining what is, as what I want it to be… in that place where there is no expectation of accountability (If I have to prove my like, lust or love than obviously YOU don’t like, lust or love ME) and the emotional investment (I feel your pain) is only as expensive as what I’m feeling right now.

But… no… I couldn’t stop myself from going to the DEEP, END-less (get it.. shallow end/deep end… just trying to be cute here, people)) source of love… God… He is love… and seeing these definitions from His point of view.

Matthew 22:37-40 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.

In “Vine’s Concise Dictionary” (a dictionary of biblical meanings and word usage), I came across the statement “Love can be known only from the actions it prompts.”  Whether we are talking like, or lust, or love, the definitions based upon degrees of feelings just got rendered empty and useless… the proof is in the pudding… so to speak!

God’s like, lust, and love, is not based on an empty, useless emotional response to some stimuli. When He “likes” (find agreeable, enjoyable, or satisfactory) something or someone, He creates… Psalm 139:14 I am fearfully and wonderfully made. When He “lusts” (a passionate desire for something) He sees the future… Psalm 139:15-16 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. And when He loves (an intense feeling of deep affection)… John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Is it any wonder that this world, controlled by the enemy of God, is desperately trying to remove God and His plans for His creation. We don’t want things His way! Our definitions are so much easier to “live with”… no effort… no guilt… no sweat… AND… I get to choose! If I change my mind I just change my path. If you don’t agree or have a problem with my choice, well, your wrong! Now get out of my way (I mean out of my life)!

Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And we said… the created being said, “Get out of my life! I can, and will do it myself!” And so… the world turns… and burns with the insatiable desire of every man (woman and child) to like, lust and love ourselves because one just can’t trust anyone else to do it the way we like it. As I said, the proof is in the pudding… the wars, and threats of war, the hatred within even our own households, the refusal to consider any way other than the one I hold, the bullying of each other, the destruction of property without regard for the unintended victim… these make up the results of our human brand of like, lust and love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;

Real like (strong desire)… real lust (passionate desire)… real love (intense desire for deep affection) is not about our FEELINGS. They are about OUR ACTIONS toward God and toward our neighbors. If our strong desire… our passion… our goal because of deep affection… is to be patient, to be kind, not to be jealous, not to brag, not to be arrogant, to not act unbecomingly, to not seek our own, to not be provoked, to not take into account a wrong suffered, to not rejoice in the bad news but to rejoice with the truth. If our strong desire… our passion… our goal because of our deep affection… were to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things FOR THE SAKE OF those closest to us and those we share this world with… we would live life fully because LOVE NEVER FAILS! When our like, lust and love prompt actions which fulfill our need and desire to love God and love our neighbor (as ourself), we are at peace with the very foundation upon which we were created… the image of God.

Just one final thought to defining like, lust and love. If you are not afraid of the results, take an assessment of what YOUR actions tell YOU about YOUR feelings. Then ask yourself, “Is this a true and accurate and transparent representation of Who I am and who I want to be?” The proof may be in your pudding…

Whether you like your pudding or not, take it and give it to God. Our Master Chef will not stop until your pudding is perfect.

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible