Years ago singer Janet Jackson made a song called “That’s the Way Love Goes,” which opened up by saying:

“Like a moth to the flame burned by the fire, that’s the way love goes.”

I pondered these words trying to find their meaning and received a dynamic, however unintentional, revelation about how this applies to us according to God’s love. See, one thing we have to realize is that God is love, and love is the root – the ultimate foundation – of our entire faith, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son” that we would be saved, and there is no greater love than one who is willing to lay down his own life for you. 1 Corinthians 13 is an entire chapter of the Bible dedicated to discussing the significance and nature of what love truly is about. And, because of its nature, we are drawn to it just as a moth is drawn to the flame.

In truth, we can easily be burned by false love. We often seek unhealthy relationships in the world, looking for love in all the wrong places, and when we do we are burned in one painful way. When we seek the wrong love it is not truly the flame that is burning us, but it is more like the lights that you can buy that electrocute the bugs; I believe they are called “Zappers.” The prince of this world sets up these fake lights, these zappers, all around the place to draw us in to those things that appear to be good light (sin in disguise). Then the electrocution is to the bug as the wages of sin are to us; they lead to death. But with discernment, a gift of the Holy Spirit, we are able to discern that which is a false light and which is true.

Without those false lights though, we are still seeking for the genuine light, which is the love of God. The Bible refers to God as a consuming fire, and thus as a flame, we are drawn to Him – not man or religion, but Him. And, we can too be burned by His flame, but not to death, rather unto life. For His flame is a flame of purification, purposed to make us holy, excellent, pure, and acceptable for such glory as that only exists in Him. Yes, we shall be burned by His fire, but we shall not die. His warmth shall burn away our sin, our worry, our fear, and our pain. His flame shall destroy the yokes and bondages that were place on us by the enemy to keep us bound and tied down in the thorny bushes of the world. His heat shall be as a soothing medicine to our aches, pains, and injuries inflicted upon us through the harsh life of this world, and though it shall sting and burn at first, it shall rejuvenate us into newness and joy. His flame, shall burn, but only to burn our fleshly attachments away that our spirit may soar into greater life more abundantly.

So, like a moth to the flame burned by the fire, that’s the way love goes.

By the grace of God,

Kelvin