Agape. No, not the mouth-wide-open agape that you experience when watching replays of the 1980 Olympic Hockey gold medal match (“Do you believe in miracles?!”). But, the Greek-word-agape used more than 100 times in the New Testament. Roughly translated, it means unconditional love. Love so deep it’s unaffected by circumstances. A love so selfless it doesn’t only work when reciprocated. The love that define us as disciples (John 13:35), God showed in Christ (Rom 5:8), and that if missing from our lives, renders us as useful as a clanging cymbal (1 Cor 13:1-2). That’s the kind of love we’re supposed to have for our wives. Can you love like that? Serving her, caring for her, honoring her and putting her needs above your own? Expecting nothing in return? Not even a box of chocolates?

What Are the 4 Types of Love in the Bible? Once upon a time, the Beatles told us that all we needed was love. In a sense, they were right; but the question of what constitutes love is much more complicated than a catchy lyric can answer. We need to understand what God’s Word says. We need to dig into four Greek New Testament words for “love” and discover how to weave them into the fabric of our lives as godly men.

Romans 12: Living as a Sacrifice: Sacrifices were a vital part of worship in Old Testament Israel because they foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. What we forget sometimes is that God still challenges us to offer sacrifices to Him. These days, the offerings aren’t sheep, bulls, and goats. Instead, God expects us to surrender our very lives to Him. This week’s podcast marks the beginning of a series on Romans 12. As we dig into the incredible passage of Scripture, we’ll see what it means to be a living sacrifice—and the practical impact that can have on our lives as men, husbands, and fathers.

You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.” – Albert Einstein.

“Being loved is life’s second greatest blessing; loving is the greatest.” – Jack Hyles.

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” – Augustine.

Go agape her. Again, don’t just stare at her all weird-like with your mouth open. That is not a good look on you. But, DO love her unconditionally. How can you do that this week? What are things you can do for her that demonstrate how much you love her without standing there waiting for her to notice and give you a big smooch? Maybe, just maybe, for this one week, you can practice agape love (then, next week, you can be all selfish again).

Kent Evans
Author of Bring Your Hammer, co-founder of Manhood Journey

P.S. Was this Mountain Monday helpful? Tell me if you love it, hate it, or if there’s something you’d like in the next one.

Forward this to a dad you know who needs some encouragement.