There are many ideas about what love is and is not. Today, we are looking at some of the attributes and truths about love.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Watch the video of this teaching at https://www.celllifechurch.tv/truths-about-love/ or on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/gDznicFn2jA
If there is one thing our world can use a lot more of, it is love. There is so much hatred in the world. People seem to always be arguing and fighting. No one has conversations or discussions anymore, just arguments.
Frustrations are at an all-time high, and impatience is showing itself everywhere. Most people are concerned with only one thing, themselves. There is a true lack of love in the world, and the Church has access to the solution, true Christ-centered love.
It has been said that God is love. It has also been said that the Bible is God’s love letter to mankind. Jesus instructs us to love one another. We must understand some truths about love and identify some misconceptions about love before we can effectively be witnesses of Jesus Christ in this world.
Let’s read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
(4) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (5) It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. (6) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (7) It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Let’s start by talking about the misconceptions of love being deserved.
When people feel that love is deserved, they feel that love is earned. You may even hear “You reap what you sow” when it comes to love. Some believe that you must act a certain way or say the right thing to not ruin love for your life. The belief is that you have to be in the perfect relationship to make love “work”. Others believe that your love life is defined by your past mistakes.
The Bible tells us that love is not deserved. No matter how hard we try, we cannot earn love. In its purest form, love is freely given. 1 Corinthians 13:5 says:
(5) It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love keeps no record of wrongs. In other words, it is quick to forgive. Love puts the other person first and its motives are pure and not for the benefit of oneself. With love, there are no hidden words or actions of malice. When tension rises, love does not bring up past mistakes.
God is our example of true love. Let’s read Psalms 103:8-12,
(8) The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. (9) He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; (10) he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. (11) For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; (12) as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
In these verses, we learn that love is not deserved. God loves us despite our mistakes. He is patient with our disobedience and not easily upset with us. God saturates us with his love. He does not hold our pasts against us. Our actions do not influence the way God loves us. He forgives and forgets, and His love can heal all the hurts of our past.
We see that love is not deserved but is it something a person feels toward another person; is it emotional?
Love is more of an action than an emotion. When we act out of love then the emotion will follow.
You may have heard these common ideas about love: Love feels good; it is happy, fulfilling, and satisfying. Let’s look at what the Bible has to say about it. Look at Colossians 3:12-14.
(12) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (13) Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (14) And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
These verses tell us that love holds all these virtues together. In other words, love holds together compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. None of these qualities are emotions, they are all virtues. They are aspects of love and cannot exist outside of love.
Some people believe that you should follow your heart therefore, love must be an emotion. Listen to what Jeremiah 17:9 says about our heart:
(9) The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Your heart will deceive you. Your heart will tell you to do what feels good. The Bible is very clear to act out of Godly wisdom and not emotion. Love is not emotion it is an action. Love leads to emotions but is first the unselfish service to others.
Love is more than a physical attraction or a kind word. Love is best described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
(4) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (5) It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. (6) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (7) It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
There is no love found in frustration or arguments. Love is also not found in selfish desires or decisions. True love forgives freely and forgets the offense. The Lord is our example of absolute true love.
Jesus forgives us and forgets our sins. When we ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior the records of our sins are blotted out and we are made clean and renewed. That is love. Jesus sacrificed his life so that all of mankind could be reconciled back to God.
As you read the Gospels and study Jesus’ interactions with people you will see nothing but love for them and love and devotion for God the Father. You will not read Jesus arguing with anyone or standing up for his rights. There are no stories of Jesus getting frustrated or upset with anyone.
Jesus simply taught about the kingdom of Heaven, healed people, and helped people move past their sins and become new creations. He did not get frustrated with the disciples when they said or did something wrong; he taught them instead. Jesus did not argue with the religious leaders when they tried to twist the laws of Moses. He asked them simple questions to lead them to the truth.
Paul starts this chapter by pointing out some things about the Church and we still see it today. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says:
(1) If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (2) If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. (3) If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
It does not matter how correct you are about a particular doctrine or idea, nor does it matter what gifts you have through the Holy Spirit. It does not even matter how much faith you have. If you do not have love, the love of Christ, you have nothing.
The attributes Paul tells us that love has must be real to us for our family and friends. We must also show that same love and show those same truths about love to the people we disagree with and yes, even those that consider us an enemy.
Show love to others just as Jesus has shown love to you and others. We are called to love each other; not just the people we like, but everyone. So, be patient, kind, satisfied, humble, respectful, selfless, calm, and forgiving. In this, you will show the truth about love to everyone you encounter and you will be spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in ways you cannot imagine.
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