Sunday, February 13, 2011

Love... That's All?


by Jennifer AlLee

Being that tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I'm in the mood for love... pondering it, anyway.

Love. It seems simple enough: Love one another. Love makes the world go 'round. Love is all you need. It makes life sound so easy. I love you, you love me... cue the purple dinosaur.

But love is a deceptive concept. There's so much meaning wrapped up in that small word. Real love is far more than a warm, fuzzy feeling. More than a fleeting emotion. True love is a decision to put someone else first. It requires dedication and hard work. When you love someone, really love them, it can wear you out.

Here's how the Bible describes love:

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13 - NLT
There's nothing easy about loving like that! But it's powerful. The most powerful thing there is. After all, God is love. But how can we possibly hope to love each other in the same way that our almighty God does?
All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

1 John 4:15-17 - NLT
True, real, deep love is only possible when the God of love lives and moves in us. As our love for God grows, so does our love for the people around us.

May you bask in the love of our great God!

6 comments:

  1. I think I have a long way to go to understand God's love- one that never changes or is influenced by emotions. It's sort of like gravity.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Me too, Deb. My kind of love is so different. The closest I can come is the love I have for my kids, but even that falls so far short.

    I guess if I could understand, I would be that much closer to understanding God's nature.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Basking in His love... now that is a great thing... I wish I didn't need to be reminded, but I do.

    Thanks Jen. That will be my mission today,
    to bask in His love.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ladies, I think we all have a long way to go! That's why the journey is so important. The more we recognize and accept God's love for us, the more we will reflect it on others. I fail every day, but I'm still trying!

    Cheryl, I don't bask nearly enough! It's really hard for me to simply be still and spend time with my Father. If I could just grasp that one concept, my life would be much fuller!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for this, Jen. You've truly blessed and challenged me this morning. This was lovely and very thought provoking.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Powerful post, Jen. And so important. I don't have love like this. Like Lisa said, the closest I have come is how I love my family, but it's a pale comparison to God's eternal, unconditional love for us.

    I'm praying to love others more like He does. And to love Him more fully, too.

    ReplyDelete

Share This Post

How Our Giveaways Work: The Official Rules

We, the ladies of Inkwell Inspirations, would love to give free stuff to everybody. Since we can't, we will often have a giveaway in conjunction with a specific post. Unless otherwise stated, one winner will be drawn from comments left on that post between the date it was published and the end of the giveaway as determined in the post. Entries must be accompanied by a valid email address. This address is used only to contact the commenter in the event that he/she is the winner, and will not be sold, distributed, or used in any other fashion. The odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. NO PURCHASE, PLEDGE, OR DONATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Pinterest