Aspects of Love
Dear Friends,
As I write this Valentine's Day is approaching so it will probably come as no surprise to you that I have chosen to write about love. I'm not talking about the romantic, sentimental, bunch of roses, box of chocolates kind of love, I'm talking about authentic, genuine, godly love. It's a love based not just on feelings, it's not just a matter of the heart. To love is a choice, it's a matter for the mind, an act of will. We are to love consistently, whether we feel like it or not, whether the person reciprocates in love or not, and we should not use it or abuse it to manipulate others.
We read in 1 John 4:8 "But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (NLT) God loves us with a love that we have never ever experienced before, and as we follow him and love him in return, his love flows through us to others. Jesus, the Son of God, says to us "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." John 13:34 (NLT) As I wrote last week, we are to become more like Jesus, he's our role model.
There's a great description of authentic, genuine, godly love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails." (NIV)
This is how God loves us and it describes for us the kind of love we are to have for one another, whether it's between husband and wife, mother and child, with our parents, siblings, friends etc. making it applicable and relevant to any and every relationship.
So how does that translate to my life today, what does it mean for me to love others in this way? In order to understand it better I've paraphrased these verses on love below after meditating on them during the week. As I paraphrased them I found it helpful to keep someone in mind, for me it made sense to consider my relationship with Jason, my husband. Here's what I came up with...
Love makes allowances for each other, it accepts and appreciates our differences, it is slow to speak and quick to listen.
Love is gentle, gracious and considerate of the needs and interests of others, it is not overbearing, demanding things be done in a certain way (my way).
Love rejoices in others' achievements and gifting, it gives others genuine praise, it does not harbour resentment or long for what others have.
Love does not say 'Look at me, look what I can do', it does not brag nor puff up self, rather it seeks to build others up and encourage them.
Love is not arrogant or conceited, it does not have an inflated ego, instead it recognises the value and worth of others.
Love treats others with respect, it uses words to speak positively, words that encourage and supports others. It does not gossip, criticise or insult others.
Love is not about looking out for number one, getting the best for itself, instead it looks to give its best to others, to be outward rather than inward looking.
Love is self-controlled, peace-loving and calm, it is not bad-tempered, not irritable and does not take its frustrations and annoyances out on others.
Love keeps forgiving and does not hold a grudge, neither does it bring up previous offences at any opportunity.
Love delights when others pursue the will of God for their lives, it takes no delight in anything that causes others.
Love does all it can to keep the relationship safe, it defends and guards the relationship, and lets nothing come between it.
Love has confidence and faith in each other, it relies and leans on each other, it is committed to each other.
Love believes the best about each other and for each other, it looks forward to a lifetime together, believing that each can be all that God intends them to be.
Love is constant, it doesn't give up at the first sign of trouble, it endures and goes from strength to strength as difficulties are overcome.
This kind of love is never defeated, it doesn't die, rather this kind of love succeeds, it prospers, it thrives, it flourishes.
Praise God! (Just felt it needed a shout of praise right there!)
Having shared it with you, now I want to spend some more time on my own with God, thinking about it. It's all very well knowing what love is all about, but I can't just leave it there, it's just as important to discover ways that I can demonstrate this kind of love to my husband (and to others). That's why James writes in James 1:22 "But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." (NLT) I'm also going to use what I wrote about love as a prayer to God, asking him to help me love others in this way, because I know very well I can't do it on my own.
To Think About:
Is there one aspect of love (from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8) that you feel God is prompting you to develop?
Is God bringing to your mind someone he wants you to love in this way?
How could you paraphrase those verses so that they become more relevant to you?
Vicki
As I write this Valentine's Day is approaching so it will probably come as no surprise to you that I have chosen to write about love. I'm not talking about the romantic, sentimental, bunch of roses, box of chocolates kind of love, I'm talking about authentic, genuine, godly love. It's a love based not just on feelings, it's not just a matter of the heart. To love is a choice, it's a matter for the mind, an act of will. We are to love consistently, whether we feel like it or not, whether the person reciprocates in love or not, and we should not use it or abuse it to manipulate others.
We read in 1 John 4:8 "But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (NLT) God loves us with a love that we have never ever experienced before, and as we follow him and love him in return, his love flows through us to others. Jesus, the Son of God, says to us "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." John 13:34 (NLT) As I wrote last week, we are to become more like Jesus, he's our role model.
There's a great description of authentic, genuine, godly love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails." (NIV)
This is how God loves us and it describes for us the kind of love we are to have for one another, whether it's between husband and wife, mother and child, with our parents, siblings, friends etc. making it applicable and relevant to any and every relationship.
So how does that translate to my life today, what does it mean for me to love others in this way? In order to understand it better I've paraphrased these verses on love below after meditating on them during the week. As I paraphrased them I found it helpful to keep someone in mind, for me it made sense to consider my relationship with Jason, my husband. Here's what I came up with...
Love makes allowances for each other, it accepts and appreciates our differences, it is slow to speak and quick to listen.
Love is gentle, gracious and considerate of the needs and interests of others, it is not overbearing, demanding things be done in a certain way (my way).
Love rejoices in others' achievements and gifting, it gives others genuine praise, it does not harbour resentment or long for what others have.
Love does not say 'Look at me, look what I can do', it does not brag nor puff up self, rather it seeks to build others up and encourage them.
Love is not arrogant or conceited, it does not have an inflated ego, instead it recognises the value and worth of others.
Love treats others with respect, it uses words to speak positively, words that encourage and supports others. It does not gossip, criticise or insult others.
Love is not about looking out for number one, getting the best for itself, instead it looks to give its best to others, to be outward rather than inward looking.
Love is self-controlled, peace-loving and calm, it is not bad-tempered, not irritable and does not take its frustrations and annoyances out on others.
Love keeps forgiving and does not hold a grudge, neither does it bring up previous offences at any opportunity.
Love delights when others pursue the will of God for their lives, it takes no delight in anything that causes others.
Love does all it can to keep the relationship safe, it defends and guards the relationship, and lets nothing come between it.
Love has confidence and faith in each other, it relies and leans on each other, it is committed to each other.
Love believes the best about each other and for each other, it looks forward to a lifetime together, believing that each can be all that God intends them to be.
Love is constant, it doesn't give up at the first sign of trouble, it endures and goes from strength to strength as difficulties are overcome.
This kind of love is never defeated, it doesn't die, rather this kind of love succeeds, it prospers, it thrives, it flourishes.
Praise God! (Just felt it needed a shout of praise right there!)
Having shared it with you, now I want to spend some more time on my own with God, thinking about it. It's all very well knowing what love is all about, but I can't just leave it there, it's just as important to discover ways that I can demonstrate this kind of love to my husband (and to others). That's why James writes in James 1:22 "But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." (NLT) I'm also going to use what I wrote about love as a prayer to God, asking him to help me love others in this way, because I know very well I can't do it on my own.
To Think About:
Is there one aspect of love (from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8) that you feel God is prompting you to develop?
Is God bringing to your mind someone he wants you to love in this way?
How could you paraphrase those verses so that they become more relevant to you?
Vicki
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