When we love we are being like God? But it's not just any kind of love and certainly not what the world portrays as love in movies. For starters, true love looks like 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4:8, and let's not forget John 3:16. Everyone knows at least the last portion of that Scripture including non-followers of Jesus. "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
4 Love suffers long (patient) and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails..."
Love is all of these things that really do not seems exceptional or outstanding or even really that impressive. They certainly do not seem spiritual by any means. Yet, that is how God chooses to describe how we are to love each other. Lest you think this perfection is an impossible standard God calls us to, this is a horizontal, human to human love that He expects us to 'administer' to each other. Walking in this kind of love is absolutely impossible without the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I don't care how amazing you are. You cannot do it without God's Spirit in you to accomplish it.
Keep in mind when Jesus gave His final charge before returning to the Father in heaven, He said, "I will go with you, I will never leave you nor forsake you." Matthew 28:19. That does not only refer to going on the foreign mission field to preach the Gospel and live among tribal people. That includes everything He told us to do that we are to continue in, even something as simple as loving our neighbor. I cannot be forgiving, love people who treat me badly, or any of it, without Him doing it through me. That is, I yield myself to Him on a daily basis in submission, and I don't have to struggle to do what He's told me to. He knows the human frame with all of our idiosyncrasies and weaknesses.
8" But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
Again the partial nature of the gives without love as the perfector. Prophecies on their own will fail, just tongues on their own will cease, knowledge on its own will disappear, because they are all partial but ...
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Why do I bring the Bible into this discussion? After all, you may not be a Bible reader, and you may not even think the Bible is relevant to today's society. But you would be wrong because God is the very definition of love and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; therefore He is always current.
Why is love so important other than the fact that we all need it? The reason is where there is a vacuum of God's love, the enemy of our souls will seek to fill that gap with something else.
It's important to note that we are speaking of "agape," or unconditional love. Not romantic or "eros" love or even "philia" friendly love. This is the type of love that never changes just as God never does.
It's important to note that we are speaking of "agape," or unconditional love. Not romantic or "eros" love or even "philia" friendly love. This is the type of love that never changes just as God never does.
1 Corinthians 13 is a fascinating passage of Scripture for several reasons including the normal lesson on what love looks like. And we will discuss that here but I really want to look at Paul's connection between the spiritual gifts and love. I find it fascinating because we in the Church, especially in charismatic circles, but so much emphasis on the gifts, yours truly included, but Paul warns us about that. He warns us that the gifts are imperfect outside of the ministry of love which is the divine component that perfects them. That's because God is love and God is perfect. Do whatever you do in His love and you do it in perfection.
For instance, the partial gift of prophecy, faith, tongues, will all fail but since love never fails, when that which is perfect comes, it perfects the gifts. Notice that Paul is not referring to when we get the great by and by, He is referring t now. That is why he begins this discourse with operating in the gifts without love amounts to nothing.
"The Greatest Gift
13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 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, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
The spiritual in operation in the highest level done without love is nothing. That's hard for us to imagine in the church because we have such a celebrity mentality with out own brand of superstars in the faith. When they are operating in love, great! God is in it, but when it's apart from his genuine expression of love, it's just a gift operating in partiality no matter how impressive. (See my blogpost on the "Lesson on Spiritual Warfare: Prophecy vs. the Occult at http://asoniamorris.blogspot.com/2015/01/lesson-on-spiritual-warfare-prophecy-vs.html )
What does true love look like:
4 Love suffers long (patient) and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails..."
Love is all of these things that really do not seems exceptional or outstanding or even really that impressive. They certainly do not seem spiritual by any means. Yet, that is how God chooses to describe how we are to love each other. Lest you think this perfection is an impossible standard God calls us to, this is a horizontal, human to human love that He expects us to 'administer' to each other. Walking in this kind of love is absolutely impossible without the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I don't care how amazing you are. You cannot do it without God's Spirit in you to accomplish it.
Keep in mind when Jesus gave His final charge before returning to the Father in heaven, He said, "I will go with you, I will never leave you nor forsake you." Matthew 28:19. That does not only refer to going on the foreign mission field to preach the Gospel and live among tribal people. That includes everything He told us to do that we are to continue in, even something as simple as loving our neighbor. I cannot be forgiving, love people who treat me badly, or any of it, without Him doing it through me. That is, I yield myself to Him on a daily basis in submission, and I don't have to struggle to do what He's told me to. He knows the human frame with all of our idiosyncrasies and weaknesses.
8" But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
Again the partial nature of the gives without love as the perfector. Prophecies on their own will fail, just tongues on their own will cease, knowledge on its own will disappear, because they are all partial but ...
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
When the perfector, love has come on the scene, that which was partial is partial no more, it has been made whole, just like the One who makes all things new.
I leave you with 1 John 4:8: "He who does not love, does not know God, for God is love."
The corollary is: He who loves, knows God, because God is love.
And that is because true love is not just a human emotion but a divine impartation.
As life gets more difficult and things heat up on the world scene, let's trust God to help us to apply the perfecting power of love with reckless abandon.
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Hello,
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to connecting with you. In the meantime, please share this blog with your friends and family members.
Blessings in Christ,
Sonia