Love is the most misunderstood concept of all times.  It’s a force that “entices, intrigues, and mesmerizes” all at once. It gives you everything yet takes everything from you at the same time. And, as difficult as love may be to understand, without it, nothing else makes sense. The most common belief in society is that love is this blind irrational feeling that is difficult to understand, control, or live without. But, is that true? Is that what love really is? A mere irrational feeling?

Not according to the Bible.

If love were a feeling and not a principle, the command to love our enemies on Matthew 5:44 would be outrageous, absurd, and unattainable. Yet, it is precisely because love is a principle, and not a feeling, that Matthew 5:44 actually makes sense.

Love is an eternal principle of Divine origin, a principle above all other principles.  –1 John 4:8

The Tell- tale Signs

One of the most straightforward descriptions of love in the Bible is found in 1 Corinthians 13

Here, Paul dissects love into 16 characteristics:

Patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, not proud, does not dishonor others, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, never ends.

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that the mainstream idea of love this modern society has falls incredibly short of such lofty description.

Just as God is eternal, so is love, because God is love. And it is only when Christ abides in us and us in Him that we are able to experience love. It is only then that we are able to give it and receive it, thus allowing ourselves to live to our highest potential.

 Decision vs. Impulse

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

-John 15:13

One of the most misused and abused words in the English language is love. It is amidst that compulsive misuse that the true meaning of the word love has lost significance. The media tends to portray a self-gratifying, irrational and conditional impulse as love. This erroneous ideology couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Love is a transitive verb. For a verb to be transitive it needs to meet two characteristics. First, it must be an action/ something doable.  Second, it must be tied to an object that receives the action.  Christ is the verb (love) made flesh. – John 1:1 When Christ decided to come down to earth and give up His life on the cross, He did not do so based on a sudden surge of impulsivity. When He created us, He created us with free will. Because of our free will, He made sure to make provision in case we fell. The King of the Universe not only created us free to choose but made provision in case we didn’t choose wisely. That provision being His own Son. Talk about the greatest expression of selflessness!

Seriously, who loves like this?

Human love, loves on a conditional basis. I love you if…. we get along, I love you if…. you do this or that for me, I love you if…. you love me back. Divine love on the other hand, loves truly, purely, fearlessly, and unconditionally.-1 John 4:18.

 The Irony of Love

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

-John 15:5

No matter how well intentioned you and I may be, it is impossible for love to originate in us.  The truth is, that love can only flow through us. The Bible says that without God, we can do nothing, and that includes loving.  As ironic as it may sound, our love for God is directly related to our dependence on God. We can’t truly and sincerely love Him, or anyone else, unless He gives us love to love Him and others with. When you make the conscious decision to love, you make the conscious decision to allow God to live in you and through you.

God’s love for us is a continuous action that has no beginning or end, just like Him.  His love for us is a love that surpasses any kind of understanding within our realm. Humanly speaking, it’s the living representation of a 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love, and He wants to bathe every cubic millimeter of your soul with it.  Submerging in His love will take your breath away yes, but it won’t drown you, on the contrary, it will bring you back to life. Giving in to his fiery love won’t burn you, on the contrary it will purify and renew your spirit. Surrendering to His love will only make you whole.

Dear Friend…

You were created to be loved with this kind of love and to love others in the same way.  No cheap imitation of love this world has to offer will ever satisfy your soul. Only True Love can, only His love will.  And He waits, tenderly and patiently He waits.

Will you give True Love a chance?

 

^“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

-1 Corinthians 13:13