0
0
The difference between human and divine love
Dateline: Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 7:45 AM, Highway 183, DFW
This morning on the way to work, the lines of a poem about love morphed into a division in my mind and soul. I was writing in my head about the deficiencies and sufficiencies of love—that is, the human version. As soon as I arrived at the office, I jotted down, refined, and reframed the lines. As I did, another poem was working its way to the surface through the cracks in my heart. It was about that other kind of love, the kind Jesus challenged his broken, defeated disciple Peter on.
“Peter, do you love me?”
Oh, yes, I love you like a brother, Lord. You know, I have this frail human kind of love for you, the Greek word is Philéo.
“Ah, but Peter, do you love me.”
Three times the Lord inquired of Peter about his love. That was the same number of times Peter had denied he knew Jesus, and at the most critical hour. The first two times, Jesus asked Peter if he had an agapê love for Him. Peter responded that he had a Philéo love for the Lord—a brotherly love. The third time, Jesus met Peter where he was and asked, “Do you have a Philéo love for me?”
“I do. Not as well as you love me. But I do.”
Divine.
Now, for the poems…
The Trouble with (Human) Love
Its demands are often greater than its rewards
It starts fistfights and tests friendships
It forgives but can’t forget
It forgets what it’s forgiven
It walks the line and blurs lines, too
It opens a door that cannot be closed
It is a test no student can pass
It is a riddle no Riddler can solve
It is a dream no prophet can interpret
It is a job too big for one
It is a joke—it hurts too much to laugh
It is a strength that demands weakness
It is a weakness, and that is its strength
It is more than enough, but you can’t get enough
It doesn’t die with death; it turns to grief
It is only gotten when it is given
It is free, and nothing has ever cost as much
The Glory of (Divine) Love
It has the whole world in its arms — John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world…)
It is unconditional — Romans 5:8 (“But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”)
It is eternal — Jeremiah 31:3 (“I have loved you with an everlasting love…”)
It is its own purpose — 1 John 4:8 (“God is love.”)
It provokes the best — Hebrews 10:24 (“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works…”)
It provides for the poorest — Psalm 68:10 (“In your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.”)
It protects the weakest — Psalm 82:3 (“Defend the weak and the fatherless…”)
It promotes the underdog — 1 Corinthians 1:27 (“God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”)
Its arms are long and strong — Isaiah 59:1 (“Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save…”)
It has wings — Psalm 91:4 (“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge…”)
It gives wings — Isaiah 40:31 (“…they will soar on wings like eagles…”)
It sings — Zephaniah 3:17 (“He will rejoice over you with singing.”)
It is the song — Psalm 42:8 (“…by night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.”)
It soars — Habakkuk 3:19 (“The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”)
It suffers long — 1 Corinthians 13:4 (“Love is patient…”)
It satisfies — Psalm 107:9 (“For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”)
It is greater than all my sin — Romans 5:20 (“…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…”)
It is free and nothing has ever cost as much — Isaiah 55:1 (“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!”) + John 15:13 (“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”) + John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”)
“Peter!”
(That’s me. I’m Peter.)
“Peter, do you love me?
“You bet, Lord. I do.”
“Peter, do you love me?”
“I really do. I love you.”
“Peter, do you love me?”
“Not the way you love me, Lord, for You love me without condition. My love is a conditional response to Your love.”
“Attaboy, Peter. Now, feed my sheep.”
The JourneyMan’s Journal is a reader-supported publication that includes both paid and free content. Consider supporting this work with an annual or monthly subscription. If you are not able to do that, a small one-time gift beats a swift kick in the pants!
