“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I am nothing but the cracking of a rusty gate” – 1 Corinthians 13:1 (MSG)
In society, we frequently hear and see expressions about love, but how well do we understand it? Love is a topic that intrigues us. Randomly selecting a song from YouTube will, with high probability, result in a love song. A google search on the word “love” returns 2.2 billion results, while a search on the word “food” returns 1.7 billion results, half a billion less. This indicates that love interests us more than food. This is true because since the beginning of humanity: love, food alongside with religion and money, have been the main driving force of humanity (Genesis 25:29-34). But of these four, love is the most important.
Love is the most important because love has existed since the beginning of time. 1st John 4:8 (NIV) says “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Thus, God and love have always existed together, because they are one and the same.
Genesis 1:27 says we are made in the likeness of God. Thus, in the same way, a glove is made in the image of a hand and is only fully expressed when it is used by a hand, we too are meant to express God. We are meant to express love.
But the 2.2 billion Google results hint that love is not understood. We have many misplaced perceptions about what love is and what it means to love. We view love as something that is given and can be taken away, something that is earned. We view love as only being an outward expression we hold for another person. Often our love is predicated on something we find valuable. We love people because of who they are. We love people for what they can do or what they did for us. We love people for what they have. But when those things go we no longer have the ability to love.
If this is how we are supposed to love, and since we are an expression of God then this implies God only loves us for who we are, what we can do for him, and what we have. But this, of course, is incorrect. God doesn’t love us because of who we are, neither for what we have nor for what we can do. Therefore, that is not how we are supposed to love.
How then should we express love? 1 Corinthians 13:1 (MSG) tells us that we express love in the way we carry ourselves, it’s not always an outward expression towards someone:
· Love never give up on others and oneself
· Love cares more about others than for self
· Love is not jealous
· Love does not boast
· Love is not proud
· Love is not overbearing
· Love is not self-centered
· Love does not hold grudges
· Love is not hot-tempered
· Love seeks truth
· Love is patient
· Love trusts God
· Love looks for the best
· Love never turns back
· Love never dies
How often do we adhere to these descriptions when we tell someone we love them? Can we say these things about ourselves? Only by this do we know we love the same way God loves. And Since God is love, when we embody these principles we embody love, when we embody love we embody God. When we embody God, we become the full expression of God and fulfill his desire to be expressed through man.
Equipped with this knowledge we should not fall prey to the deceptive view the world holds toward love. Let us truly express God and display his love to the rest of the world because through our fruit they will know we who belong to.
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:35 (MSG)
So next time you feel you are in “love” check your love levels. Does it satisfy the list mentioned above?