Love

Webster's New English Language Dictionary defines love as: (1) have a deep feeling of affection for someone; (2) like something very much.

Love is used so much in this day in time. One can say "I love to watch baseball." or "I love pizza." or "I love my wife and my daughter." I dare to say that what a person feels for baseball or pizza differs from the feelings for a spouse or a child.

Let's see what God's word says about love.

The King James version has love printed 311 times in 281 verses. For the sake of time I will not hit them all.

In Matthew 22:35-40 says:

Mat 22:35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

(KJV)

Jesus says here to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. He also says that all the law is connected to these two commandments.

So what is love exactly? How can we do it if we're not really sure what it entails?

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says:

1Co 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

1Co 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

1Co 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

(KJV)

The word translated charity in this passage is agape which is also translated love. It is the same word translated love in John 13:35.

Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

(KJV)

Now that we have seen that love is a very important part of our daily lives, that without love everything that we do is useless, and that others will know that we are true disciples of Christ by our love for one another, we need to see what this love is.

The next few verses in 1 Corinthians tells us

1Co 13:4 Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or

1Co 13:5 rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.

1Co 13:6 Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.

1Co 13:7 Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.

1Co 13:8 Love never fails! Everyone who prophesies will stop, and unknown languages will no longer be spoken. All that we know will be forgotten.

(CEV)

Also John 15:13 says:

Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

(KJV)

Wow. That's a lot to take in at once. Love is: kind, patient, supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love is not: jealous, boastful, proud, rude, selfish, quick tempered, or evil. And to top it all off, the greatest love is to die for another. I don't know about you, but to me that is just not humanly possible. We are just not capable of loving like that without some help. Jesus would not command the impossible from us, so how do we love like this? We find that in 1 John 4:19:

1Jo 4:19 We love because God loved us first.

(CEV)

We see here that we love others because God loved us first. Not only did he love us first, but his love was the ultimate love as we see in John 3:16:

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV)

God though his Son Jesus Christ not only died to show us true love, but to save our souls and to give us eternal life. All we have to do is to believe that Jesus, the one and only Son of God died for us and we will not perish, but have eternal life. If we have not trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we cannot love others in the manner we are commanded to love them. The first step to loving others the way we are supposed to is to believe in Christ and to admit to him that we are sinners and not capable on our own to obey His commandments. We must allow Christ to work in and though us. If you have not accepted Christ into your life, all it takes is a simple, but heart-felt prayer. Here is an example: "Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be." If you have given your life to Christ, it is my prayer that you will take these few verses and allow them to enter your daily life, showing Christ's love to the world.