Love: What It Is & What It Isn't



          Throughout the Bible, God shows us what real love is.  Through Jesus's life, we are shown how to love others.  In our world today, love is defined as "an intense feeling of deep affection." However, based on the love God teaches us, love is not a noun to be defined, but a verb to be acted upon.  1 John 3:18 says, "Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, we are told the truth about what love is. 

Love is:
  • patient
  • kind
  • selfless
  • unending
  • truthful
  • protecting
  • trusting
  • hopeful
  • unfailing
  • modest 
  • unconditional
Love isn't:
  • jealous
  • envious
  • easily angered
  • rude
  • boastful
  • proud
  • selfish
  • dishonoring

          One thing I was told a few months ago that I think is one of the neatest things ever is to place the name of a person such as your boyfriend or girlfriend into the passage in 1 Corinthians.  With their name in place, read the verses and consider whether their love is Godly love or worldly love.  Based on this, you can determine whether this boy or girl is loving you in a way that God would approve of. 
          Another thing I like to do is place my own name into the passage to evaluate how Godly my love is towards others.  This helps me to I realize that there are areas where I struggle in loving like God loves us.  I pray over these difficult areas and have hope to improve the way that I show love to others.

"(Insert name) is patient, (he/she) is kind. (He/She) does not envy, (he/she) does not boast, (he/she) is not proud. (He/She) does not dishonor others,  (he/she) is not self-seeking, (he/she) is not easily angered, (he/she) keeps no record of wrongs. (He/She) does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (He/She) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 
-1 Corinthians 13:4-7

           Remember, love is not a noun or a feeling, love is a verb.  Put love into action.

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