This Thing Called Love

This is a study of Gods Word concerning the source; importance; meaning; and application of the teachings about Love.

The verses from Mat 22:34-40 and the first three verses of I Cor 13 (together) had been on my mind for some time before I attempted to prepare this study. It seemed like the Lord would not let me rest with the relevance of this subject in relation to the teachings of the church.

While you will find many loving churches that teach subjects relating to love, you will not find many teachings on the actual description of love nor see the priority of it over any other subject available. If you are interested in this study, I hope you will:

1. Ask the Lord to reveal His truth to you about this material.

2. Read the scriptures used in this study yourself and allow Gods word to change whatever pre-conceptions you have about this subject.

3. Share whatever the Spirit reveals to you.

Christians struggle with many Biblical issues, such as Forgiveness, Tithing, Fellowship, Outreach, and the list goes on… but most all of these struggles can be linked to our ignorance of God's central teaching on Love.

Think about this for a moment: If you never counted a wrong done against you by someone, (which is one of the principles of Love that we will learn), you would not struggle with the issue of forgiveness. Or, If you were not self-seeking (another principle of Love) when it came time for tithing or fasting, you would not struggle with these either.

Applying principles from an understanding of this study will totally change the way we see everything and simplify so many issues that we struggle with in our walk with God. So let's begin our study by answering these questions. "What is the source of love, how important it is, what does love mean, and what is the application of this teaching for us?"

THE SOURCE OF LOVE

Unlike anything else in the universe… love is not something that God created. In fact, Love is what God is.

Scripture tells us that God is love. It is because He is love that we were created and it is our inability to love that sets us apart from God.

1 John 4:8 He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.

1 John 4:16 And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

Love comes to us from God, through the Holy Spirit.

Anything that man believes to be his own form of love is not really love at all but something else... (a contaminated or perverse expression of something he believes or pretends to be love).

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,

IMPORTANCE OF LOVE

All of God's word is important and to learn as much of it as is revealed to us is certainly His will for each of us. And isn't it true that there is so much to learn and so much to remember that trying to follow His word in every way can be frustrating at times. My own life is filled with failed attempts to do this or not do that. It seams that it would be a lot easier if we knew what the most important thing to God was, and start there.

Well, God loves us so much that He has revealed to us what is most important to Him in the scripture below. What we read toward the end of Matthew, Chapter 22 should urge every Christian to keep Love at the forefront of everything, everyday of their life. If anything, it should clarify what is most important to God and why we should study "this thing called Love".

In this passage, we find Jesus surrounded (by what would be considered wise men of His day... by mans' standards anyway) and one of them asks Him a question. Jesus answers, and what He tells this Lawyer is the central issue in this study.

Matthew 22:36-40 Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light--which are heavy?] And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Here, we have Mankind recorded in Gods' word, asking the Creator of ALL things... "What is the most important thing"? Jesus, quickly, and simply… tells us exactly what we need to know. And then, in case we didn't catch on… He sums it up in verse 40. Is this not foundational to us? If anything is revealed to us from this passage, it is that, "to love God and each other", is the most important thing to God.

Now we understand the source of Love and see (through God's word) that it is not from us, but is actually God and that Love comes from God into us through the Holy Spirit. Further, we should agree from the passage in Matthew 22 that Love is the most important thing for us to understand.

Now let's find out what it means to love or what love means.

MEANING OF LOVE

So much is said about love and so many sources of information concerning love saturate the world today and yet we live with so much hate, bitterness, strife, and war. The rate of divorce continues to rise both in the world and among Christians. Because of the "fallen" nature of man, so his understanding of love is distorted, sorted, and even perverse.

It is also true that even when God's word concerning love (I Corinthians 13) is referenced, it seldom goes beyond verse 4.

So, let's look now at God's definition of Love and pray that He will reveal the true meaning of this important teaching. You can click on any of the words in red for a more detail understanding of each.

1 Corinthians 13:3. Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing. 4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. 5. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. 6. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. 7. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. 8. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].
As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

Well, we really have our work cut out for us in just these few verses before us. 1st, I would like to point out that verse 3 further strengthens the fact that love is most important to God and that He is the true source.

2nd, I should point out that the chapter continues, concerning love, but the definition of Love stops here at verse 8. At first glance, we see the elements of Love are in two forms… What Love is… and what Love is not. So, let's list the elements revealed here and look at them together.


WHAT LOVE IS
Endures Long, Patient, Kind, Rejoices when Right and Truth Prevail, Bears Up Under Anything and Everything That Comes, Ever Ready to Believe the Best of Every Person, Hopes are Fadeless Under ALL Circumstances, Endures Everything
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WHAT LOVE IS NOT
Never Envious, Never Boils Over with Jealousy, Boastful or Vainglorious, Does Not Display Itself Haughtily, Conceited, Rude and Act Unbecomingly, Does not Insist on its Own Rights/its Own Way, Self-seeking, Touchy or Fretful or Resentful, Take Account of Evil Done to it, Does Not Rejoice at Injustice and Unrighteousness, Never Fails


To many of us, God's definition of Love looks impossible for anyone to achieve.

However, if we have agreed with this study so far, we know that the list before us is the central, most important thing for us (Christians) to understand and apply to our lives.

Each of us is different and so there will be many different ways that each of us will approach getting this information into our daily thoughts and actions. The purpose of this study is ONLY to bring attention to the truth concerning this subject. It will take prayer, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and using each of the elements above daily in everything you think, do, or say.

Notice that achieving an element from one side of the list, will eliminate one or more element(s) from the other side of the list.

For instance, If we are KIND to the cashier checking us out at the store, we are not being RUDE AND ACTING UNBECOMINGLY. In the same scene, If we are KIND and say, "I appreciate you helping me", and we are not concerned whether she or he returns the compliment, then we are not SELF-SEEKING.

As we exercise these elements of Love each day, it becomes clear why God laid both "is and is not" down in the same teaching. It is a fact that the more you practice each of these elements of love, the easier they will be achieved.


REMEMBER: How your success or failure to achieve these elements affects your business, marriage, popularity, etc, is not important because you have decided today that this is what is important to God. <


Achieving real love on a daily basis because it is important to God is not being SELF-SEEKING.

APPLICATION

Let's finish this study by looking at ways to apply what we have learned in this study to how we live our lives in Christ.

The rest of God's word concerning Love from I Cor 13 below should set the tone for our approach to applying this study to our lives.

1Corinthians 13 9 For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect).

10 But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside.

12 For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].

13 And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Every day, we wake up and begin thinking about the world around us, what we have to do, where we will go, who we will see, and we get up and move about the earth accordingly. As we think about these things we must get into a habit of thinking and acting in a spirit of love. Use the list from I Cor 13 to measure what you say and do throughout the day.

How can I treat my workmates, husband, wife, sister, salesman, teacher, etc, in a kindly manner?

As I dress today, do I give the appearance of being conceited, boastful, or Self-seeking?

Can I set through yet another 8 hours of resentment from co-workers without breaking?

Can I be happy for Mr. Johnson, who got the promotion that I was sure was mine?

It's not going to be easy. We'll go through this together and share our experiences together. But we do it because we see it is critical to becoming who God wants us to be. It is the most important thing for us to do today! God bless each of you.

I love you and pray for you.