What Does Love Really Mean?
In the last post (Being Devoted in Love), I talked about the importance of our devotion to others being maintained by love rather than a sense of obligation. Before, I was never able to be devoted to others in love because I was always focused on
my own feelings or image. The other person (when honestly evaluating my
heart) didn't matter enough for me to fight for and to fight through
things with. God has called us to a higher standard though. We have to
be invested in each other, otherwise we are putting an expiration date
on the work and effort we are willing to put in. Love is sacrificial and
not self-serving. It comes at a cost to ourselves. When we can grasp that, we can truly live out God's command to love Him and others (Matt 22:37-39).
Our perception of love is weak. We often base it off shifting standards and emotions, which is why I believe God made sure we had an extensive and unchanging description of what love really looks like. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 lists these qualities of love
The only way to be devoted to someone is in love. That is how people get (and stay) saved and the church/body of Christ stays and functions together. God made being loving the command that meant the most to Him (Matt 22:37-39). This means that it is extremely important to Him that we devote ourselves to loving Him and others. These aren't qualities we can just shrug off and laugh about not having.
Love is an important word. It determines whether our lives, relationships, and what we do truly honor God. We have to stop judging our efforts by our poor understanding of this verb and grasp the intensity, passion, and intentionality God is calling us to put into practice in our everyday lives.
Our perception of love is weak. We often base it off shifting standards and emotions, which is why I believe God made sure we had an extensive and unchanging description of what love really looks like. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 lists these qualities of love
- Patient
- Kind
- Does not envy (you don't get jealous of what someone else has, you celebrate with them)
- Does not boast (acknowledging blessings is different from boasting about them. The latter brings people down)
- Is not proud (the opposite of proud is humble)
- Does not dishonor others
- Is not self-seeking (it is not selfish or self-serving. It is focused on what you can do for the other person, not what they can or are doing for you)
- Not easily angered (this one and the next one point to being forgiving and merciful)
- Keeps no record of wrong (your treatment of people doesn't depend on your grudges-keeping them is not love)
- Does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth (remember that you are not on the enemy's side)
- Always protects (spiritually-guard their salvation, physically, mentally, and emotionally. This doesn't mean you place them in a bubble. The thing about bubbles is that they are easy to pop. Ignorance and coddling don't help make people stronger or more aware of what they need to work on or guard against)
- Always trusts
- Always hopes
- Always perseveres (you keep going even in the face of obstacles or discouragement)
- NEVER fails (you don't give up)
The only way to be devoted to someone is in love. That is how people get (and stay) saved and the church/body of Christ stays and functions together. God made being loving the command that meant the most to Him (Matt 22:37-39). This means that it is extremely important to Him that we devote ourselves to loving Him and others. These aren't qualities we can just shrug off and laugh about not having.
Love is an important word. It determines whether our lives, relationships, and what we do truly honor God. We have to stop judging our efforts by our poor understanding of this verb and grasp the intensity, passion, and intentionality God is calling us to put into practice in our everyday lives.
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