Love is . . . Colossians 3.12-14

Love is … Colossians 3.12-14

Greetings! 

In the 1970s newspapers, there was a little cartoon strip called Love is . . .   It featured a male and female wearing big smiles and nothing else, with a simple line of writing about some aspect of love. I looked for them and cut them out of every newspaper and saved them in envelopes.  One of my favorites: Love is . . . being able to say you’re sorry.  Paul’s next thoughts could be entitled Love is … so, let’s love!

Take a look:  Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3.12-14

Hmmm … how beautiful is that?  We are to lead with love, because in Christ, we have been dearly loved.  Radically changed by his love, you and I are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, and offer forgiveness when needed. 

Robbie is 18 years old.  Last year, he stepped forward to lead the campus portion of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  Oh, sure, he had met Christ—or so he thought.  But mostly, I think if honest, he would say he thought being ‘club president’ would look really good on his college applications.  Many conversations about spiritual growth seemed to sail right over his head.  Then a strange thing happened—in the summer between his junior and senior years of high school--he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, and it radically transformed him.  At our lunchtime club meeting today, when I asked a roomful of sitting-room-only students what was different about Robbie…someone yelled from the back, ‘Love just comes out of him!’ 

Would you say your life is characterized by compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness … and well, love?  If not, then perhaps it is time to spend more time with the Lover of your soul, so that his love will rub off on you.  Paul previously described this kind of love for the Corinthians:

Love is patient; 

   love is kind.

     Love does not envy; 

       is not boastful;

         is not conceited;

           does not act improperly;

             is not selfish; is not provoked;

   does not keep a record of wrongs;

     finds no joy in unrighteousness,

        but rejoices in the truth; 

           bears all things, believes all things,

              hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13.4-7

Love is of God.1  Love is why God created us in the first place.  God did not create us out of need.  He created us out of his love.2    God, who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that he may love and perfect them.3

It is in relationship with God that we learn about love, and the Holy Spirit’s presence in us grows us into people who can know and express love. 

Love is . . . of God, and may it be of us.