1 John 4:8 English Standard Version (ESV) Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

The Greek language distinguishes four different kinds of love: Philia, Eros, Storge and Agape.

Philia is a friend’s love.

Eros is erotic love.

Storge is family love.

Agape is perfect love.

Which of these do we feel?

Who has a friend that is a lifelong friend? If you do, you are lucky. My best friend drowned in the Atlantic while I was serving my country. I cannot say we would have been lifelong friends, we never got the chance.

Erotic love has ruined many marriages. Chasing after passion is a fool’s game. Keep it up and you will end up alone with no passion in your life. I’ve seen it happen over and over again.

Storge love is very complicated. Family dynamics are complicated. Sibling rivalry is no joke and family members can cause us the greatest pain, or the closest bonds. There are always strong feelings in families and not always positive.

No one is perfect in love but God. Paul gave us the love chapter describing perfect love and when we look at how it acts we see ourselves coming up short in performance.

The interesting thing about all these different kinds of love is that they are a reciprocal force. You have to give love to receive love. If we do not put forth the effort we don’t feel love is returned.

1 Corinthians 13:8a English Standard Version (ESV) Love never ends. 

God’s perfect love never dies, never fades, never is lost and if we don’t feel it, that isn’t God’s fault.

We cannot love God perfectly. Agape love does not get returned to God as a reciprocal force. The Word of God does not say to love God perfectly but rather to make an honest effort. With all our strength has limits, we are human, make the effort and don’t condemn ourselves because we are not perfect.

A wise counselor once told me, “If you don’t feel like doing it, don’t.”

Exodus 21:9 English Standard Version (ESV) If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.

Given that God has created man after His own image, it is reasonable to think that God would not ask man to do a thing that God Himself would not do. Here in Exodus God instructs a father to deal with a woman he has chosen for his son to be treated as a daughter.

We have been chosen for His Son Jesus Christ and we are treated after the fashion of a daughter, His daughter. Men might have a problem with that, but remember this, we are talking about Kingdom living.

Under the Jewish tradition which in many ways forms examples of how God interacts with man, a daughter does not own property. Everything belongs to her betrothed.

John 17:6 English Standard Version (ESV) I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

In Kingdom living we can only “keep” His Word. This is not the world, in the world we are nothing more than stewards. We are given the responsibility of handling the King’s business dealings in the world. While we get to decide how to use it, it still belongs to Jesus.

Governments make demands upon us in the world and we are to honor the rules of governments but our allegiance is first to Jesus Christ. He told us plainly to render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar but unto God what belongs to God. We can only do that by faith, rendering as God sees fit.

We live in both worlds at the same time, the physical world and the Kingdom of God. Some might claim dual citizenship but we must choose which has our allegiance.

The secondary issue of being a daughter is that all our needs are met without any effort on the daughter’s part. This is where pride hinders us when it says “I have worked for everything I have, it’s mine.” Maybe according to the government, but according to Kingdom living, it all belongs to God and we are nothing more than stewards.

Stewardship is an awesome responsibility.