In 1991 BeBe and CeCe Winans, “Addictive Love” song hit #1 on the R&B chart, it also received the Soul Train Music Award, ‘Best Song of the Year’. It was a song on their album, Different Lifestyles. A song the world labeled a “crossover” hit. Traditional church folk were ready to put BeBe and CeCe out of the church. This song was being played in nightclubs, parties, and sets as well as in church weddings.
The truth of the matter is BeBe and CeCe felt that most secular music being played was influencing young people to be violent and throw their lives away. They sought to break into this medium and give those same kids an alternative song about real love. Music is very powerful it can be used as a tool for encouraging or discouraging people of all ages.
It’s interesting to me that the song is part of an album entitled, Different Lifestyles, viewed by many as a crossover song that was played and sung in nontraditional settings. Our scripture reminds us that God’s love is meant to be played out in this world in nontraditional settings, beyond the four walls of a church building. The love we have for God is to be displayed in a lifestyle that becomes attractive to non-believers. A love that is ‘addictive’. If you define a love addiction as one whose purpose and reason for living is wrapped up in another person. BeBe and CeCe let us know that there is only one person who should hold that place in our heart, Jesus! One of the first lines in this song establishes this fact, “All I wanna do is just explain why that we feel the way we do..ooh what a joy to share with you, for me to live is Christ, to die is gain,”
In our scripture today, God reminds us that love for one another is the distinguishing factor that lets all men know that we are his disciples. UPS has its brown trucks and uniforms, church building have big crosses, even some that light up at night, people have bumper stickers that say, “Honk if you love Jesus”. But Jesus say’s none of those things make a difference without love illustrated by the way we treat one another. Love is more than a warm feeling, in fact, in many cases, real love has nothing to do with how you feel. It is a commitment that shows up in your attitudes, orders you to actions in ways that display Gods love. Do your actions toward others reveal that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ? Is your love addiction for Christ enough to cause others to want who you have?
CBA/RA
