Love: In God's Eyes

Finally being married after pushing my way through many failed relationships is a blessing from God. I decided to re post this but with a few changes. I use to have a blog with the title of "The life of a Christian Moose". I am using those messages I put on there for this blog page along with other ideas and thoughts from overseas and when I get home.

When I decided to write about love, I wasn't sure I knew everything about it. Well I do know this about love, it is abundant in Christ. So I am going to reading from one of the most famous passages about love and that is 1 Corinthians 13. Before I get started though, I want to ask you this question. What is love to you? Is it the frilly, mushy wushy, pinch your significant other’s cheek? It could be, I guess. But I’d like to look at in a more biblical way.

So, let’s dive in.1 Corinthians 13 says:

“1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy (resounding) gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is Patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own; is not provoked; does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away…. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

What really defines love? There are so many variations. True love can be found in the text of the Word of God.To begin I would like to bring a few points of what love isn’t. Jealous, boastful ( bragging ), arrogant, provoked easily or at all, keeps no record of wrong-doing, rejoice in unrighteousness. What I get from this list of things love is not is this; I know that they are not easy to get around. Jealousy is a natural human feeling, but really it doesn’t have to be a common place emotion. If you are jealous, how much trust are you showing in your partner? Or if you boasting about the great and awesome relationship your in; how is that being Christ-like or honoring to God? Here is a good one, being provoked. In an argument and you get easily provoked into it, or even in a crowd of people and someone bumps into and insults you. Do you react in anger? Or do you say I am sorry and move on? What would Jesus do in this particular situation? Another thing keeping a record of wrong-doing, what does it actually accomplish? Trust me, it isn’t right either way. I’ve seen an argument that I have gotten into last over an hour because the person I was arguing with had a list that was very long. Because if I kept a record of all the wrong-doings done to me in my near 26 years on Earth; it would be a multiple volume library. But you see that is where the beauty of God’s love comes in. God doesn’t keep records of sin that he will then pound over our heads, rather He wants to forgive us and LOVE us and He wants us to love Him in return. 1 Corinthians 10:24 says this: “Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.” Now here is a few points of what love is. Love is; patient, kind, unselfish, believing, hoping and enduring in all things. Rejoicing in truth and patience is a virtue that God gives us. And trust me it is a much needed aspect in not only dealing with non-believers, but in our daily walk with Christ. Meaning that we need to have patience when we pray to God about things we need or things that might be going on in the church and in the lives of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Being kind is another good aspect of Godly love. I have not seen in my lifetime where being a jerk and highly unkind to someone shows love to one another. For example, if I went up to Pastor Chris and said need some deodorant? Is that being kind? Some might say sure. But really that is a rude question to ask. So Pastor Chris, please forgive me for that. What really should’ve happened in that instance was that I should’ve said Pastor Chris, you’re looking rather debonair. Now that’s what being kind is like. Being unselfish is a really important one in my mind; because it is hidden in the motives of our everyday lives. If went up to let’s say 10 people shook their hands and said thanks for coming and make sure you come back again. Now in the outward appearance you could say “what’s wrong with that?” In essence, nothing really is wrong in doing that, but if you have a motive inside you that says if I greet 10 or 12 people today and then people notice that, they will think I am a great guy. You’re doing it to get some satisfaction in knowing other think well of you. Really that isn’t the point. Being truly unselfish to me is going out and asking someone if they need help with something. You volunteer to help with kids because it is something that you love doing. Doing it to help kids grow in Christ, rather than seeking the glory of being noble is truly how you can do something out of love rather than self edification (unselfishness).Love that never fails is what I think is a harder aspect of love. Ultimately we fail the ones we love. Whether we mean to or not. But if come to God on His throne and ask Him for guidance He will lead us in a way that can help us to serve one another. A true example of an unfailing love is God Himself; the sacrificing of His only begotten Son for the sins of man, WOW, now that is love. He loved us so much that He was willing to send His precious Lamb to be slain so that we can come to Him and be with Him. Now doesn’t that excite into wanting others to share in that love? Or are we going to be that boy in the corner Pastor Chris spoke about and say “I am not going to share Him with others, because it will take away from what I have.” Brothers and Sisters I implore you go out and sit down and talk to people. But ultimately we need to spread that love of God. It isn’t going to be easy and that is the honest truth.Before I wrap up, I’d like to say this: God’s love is vast as the ocean and as high as the stars in the night sky. So, soak in that love and pour it out in mass volumes to a world that so desperately needs it.Let’s Pray.God,I’d like to first and foremost thank you for the awesome love that we as Christians share in everyday. Thank you for sacrificing your Son so that we may have eternal life with you in Heaven. I pray that people who hear this read, or read it for them selves can come away knowing more about your love. Who are eager to spread it out within the community and across the world. I hope also that we can soak the nutrients of your Word and understand what is being read.
In your Son’s name I pray,
Amen.