What is Love?

(1 Corinthians 13)

 The word “love” appears several hundred times throughout the Bible, & the concept is one of, if not the, central themes of God’s Word. Today, we toss the word around a lot, often with little regard for what it actually means. And this begs the question, do we even really know what love means? Do we really know what it is?

 John tells us that God is love (1 John 4:16), & that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to save us (John 3:16-17). And Jesus tells us that the greatest commands are to love God with our hearts, souls, minds, & strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. (Mark 12:29-31)

 So, what does this mean for us? How do we show love to God & to others? We love God by surrendering our lives to Him & living our lives in a way that honors & glorifies Him. This involves loving others.

 One of the most detailed descriptions about loving others can be found in 1 Corinthians 13, where Paul elaborates on what this love is.

 – Patient — Quite possibly everybody’s least favorite word, patient means waiting, not being in a rush, allowing others to move at their own pace, & recognizing that our timetable may not be God’s.

 – Kind — Simply put, this means showing compassion, grace & mercy, and being just plain nice to people (whether we feel like it or not).

 – Not Envious — We are grateful for what we have, & genuinely happy for other people’s success & accomplishments.

 – Not Boastful — We do not brag about our own triumphs & successes or proclaim them loudly for all the world to hear.

 – Not Arrogant — We’re not full of pride, & do not consider ourselves to be better than anyone else.

 – Not Rude — We show people respect & consideration.

 – Not self-seeking — We put other people’s well-being, needs, wants, & dreams ahead of own.

 – Not Irritable — We are slow to anger. We allow for people to make mistakes & do not let the “little things” get under our skin.

 – No Record of Wrongs — We forgive & forget. We do not hold people’s past mistakes over their heads. We allow for God’s work to be revealed.

 – No Joy in Unrighteousness — We are not happy when bad things happen, or when people do things God says we should not do.

 – Rejoices in the Truth — We are happy when what is right is victorious & when honesty wins out over lies.

 – Bears, Believes, Hopes, Endures All Things — We are tenacious. We stubbornly cling to our faith in God, regardless of whatever we face & we trust that no one is beyond His reach.

 – Never Fails — Love is eternal. There is no end to it. As long as there is breath in our lungs, & as long as God exists, we are called to love.

“These three remain: Faith, Hope, & Love—the greatest is Love”

Love God. Love others.