Im reading this book Crazy Love by Francis Chan and one chapter discusses the Biblical definition of love. It was so profound I had to insert my name in the place of love and see how I fared, not to mention the author asks you to. In general most people think of themselves as good people, and most people think they know how to love. But check out this list of things that love is that have stood the test of time and see how you stack up.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 ESV.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
This sounds like a solid checklist for love doesn’t it? But What would happen if you replaced “love” with your name. It might read something like this
4 You are patient and kind; You do not envy or boast; you are not arrogant 5or rude. You do not insist on your own way; you are not irritable or resentful; 6 You do not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoice with the truth. 7 You bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things.
8 Your love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
I don’t know about you but a few of these hit pretty hard. I think I’m a kind person, but patience is a tough one for me. I can be very irritable at times, especially when “King stomach” (Fasting by Jentezen Franklin) is in need. I try not to resent certain things but sometimes they get the best of me. I think I have some skill and discipline in concerns to strength, belief, hope, and endurance but put against the test of “all things” I might have some issues. In fact I’m sure I would. Try as I may I’m going to have faults, we all are. Fortunately “Love never ends.” What a great realization that is but can your love end. There is a great song by Sanctus Real called “Eternal” that will put this in perspective the second verse says
And I could never lose Your love to sickness
Oh I could never lose You to divorce
And there’s no concept of abandonment
For I am safe within Your arms
What an amazing song. Do you think your love could stand against this statement. Some of the things I think about when I hear this song is my own parents divorce, about some of my friends who have moved away or stopped being friends, about my own mother and her severe case of Rheumatoid Arthritis and its affect on her life and her needs. It also brings to mind my fathers untimely death. How great would it be to have a love and to show a love that could standup to all these and not even flinch? How great would it be to love like that?
1 John 4:16 ESV.
God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
Wait a minute I think God had this idea long before I did. So if God is love, then God is patient, and kind, and all the other statements that make up the love checklist. Looks like he beat us to the punch, but of course he did! The closer you are to love the closer you are to God. What better way to get closer to God than love. What a great place to start making your life better than love. Even The Beatles and all your favorite bands sing about love. Love is unmistakable. Go back to the love checklist in verses four through eight and put your name in there. Start now! Let me know how it goes I would love to hear about it.
