Love: What the Bible Has to Say About It
Love is something everybody needs. Without it children fail to thrive and adults die before their time. Even the love of pets has a positive effect upon the physical health and mind of those who own and care for them. The Bible is very specific about what love is, and tells us how to know if you love and who loves you. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-13 says:
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 1 Cor 13:4-7
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 1 Cor 13:8
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Cor 13:13
Charity (Photo credit: Perfesser)
The discourse on the definition, actions, and importance of charity or love given in 1 Corinthians 13 says some unexpected things. I say this because our modern notion of love is deeply enmeshed with the popular notions of romance, togetherness, and passion associated with expressions of sexuality (pan, homo, and hetero). Unlike worldly notions about love, the qualities given in 1 Corinthians 13 are:
-selfless and do not focus on what others can do for us. -a description for how we are to truly love. -a check list that will forever define who loves you and who loves you not.
If you love someone, anyone, you are patient with them. You will show kindness to them, and seek their good and not your own. Love is not jealous. It is not suspicious. If you love someone, you share their sorrows. You will not plan to make them miserable. Love means you keep up a positive attitude about the person you love at all times, while not being in denial. Likewise, if you think someone loves you, ask yourself: Is this person patient with me? Do they show me kindness? Do they seek that which is good for me? Are they jealous, possessive or suspicious? Do they rejoice when I rejoice? If your answer to any of these questions is no, then that person does not love you. Tempted to feel sad about that? Get over it! Thank the Lord for making the truth known and move on.
My next post will discuss more about what 1 Corinthians 13 says about love.
Until next time, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might!”
Your friend in Christ,
Verneda
Twitter handle: @vlights
© 2012 Verneda Lights. All Rights Reserved.