I'm not just talking about love in the romantic context but just love - as human beings, particularly love as God commands... Remember, all the commandments summarised could be - Love God (with all that you are and all that you have), love yourself (completely and just in the way God does) and of course love your neighbour as you love yourself!
I think in describing love, 1Corinthians 13, breaks it right down (it's a favourite at many weddings) and I'll use that as my cue for describing the characteristics of love:
1. Patient – When you love, you have the ability to suffer long; you take your time to help people without complaining or sighing at every opportunity. When you love, you are willing to wait and be of good cheer while doing so. Are you patient?
2. Kind – Dictionary defines being kind as being considerate, helpful or being humane.It means you go out of your way to help people, whether you know them or not. It could be that you ensure that people around you feel comfortable being in your presence. It means that you think of how you can make someone’s life better without being asked to. Are you kind?
3. Does not Envy – When you love, you resist the urge to feel jealous about your neighbour. They could seem to have a nicer home, drive a better car, have a more successful business but your love for them means that you pray for them to be blessed even more! It is quite rare to see a mother competing with her child, in fact most parents pray that their children achieve much more than they did. It is time to stop competing with ourselves and instead learn to start complimenting ourselves in love. Are you envious?
4. Humble – Do you flaunt your achievements in the face of others so that they know what you have and they don’t? Are you humble?
5. Not rude – Acting rudely is described in the dictionary as being discourteous or impolite especially in a deliberate way. Do you watch your manners and the way you speak to people - young or old, boss or subordinate? If you aren’t, God is. He loves and regards every single one of us equally and sees us all as precious in His sight. He expects us to do the same to every one of His children that He thought important enough to lay His life down for. Are you rude?
6. Not selfish – To show love, you need to be able to think about others when thinking about yourself. To love means to sometimes go out of your way to do things that are not convenient in order to help some other person. Do you think about yourself and how each decision affects you all the time? Are you selfless?
7. Peaceful – Everyone loves a peace maker, everyone wants to be in the company of an individual who promotes peace, no one wants to be associated with trouble makers. What’s your story? Love is not easily provoked. Love does not act or speak in anger to her neighbour. Love forgives easily irrespective of what has been done. Are you peaceful?
8. Pure in heart –Love thinks no evil and believes the best in everyone. It does not sow discord among people nor entertain gossip of any kind. Are you pure in heart?
9. Rejoices! - Celebrates truth, progress and not failures or weaknesses. Do you see the good in others AND let them know about it? Pay someone a compliment today!
10. Bears all things –Love is not overly sensitive nor takes offence easily. Love is open to correction and chastisement without feeling the need to get defensive. Love waits to listens to what the next person has to say. How much are you able to take?
11. Believes all things – Love is trusting (No matter what precedence may be) and is willing to fully let go of the past. Are you still holding on to an offence?
12. Hopes all things – Love has faith always.
13. Endures all things –Love never gives up
14. Never fails – Love is constant, consistent and unwavering in its support of its recipient.
Wow! What a tall order! To love is not the easiest of things! But to do we must, and the grace to do is made available by the One who proclaims that He is Love!
He who does not love, does not know God, for God is love - 1John 4:8
xxxx
Show some loveee -
Twitter: @1plustheone
Email: oneplustheone@gmail.com
I read this and smiled because not only is the grace available, we know that as Christians, we are born of God's nature. We act like God. I always tell myself and others that I see people with the eyes of God, even when they are evidently wrong. Its what keeps me going, so no matter what, I'm able to truly LOVE others and myself even when I don't think I have acted well in a particular situation.
ReplyDeleteThat principle is really humbling.
Great post dear, I was truly refreshed going step by step with you as you expatiated on that scripture. Truly we must practice what we preach. To answer your question, Yes I believe I do and I'm getting better at it as the days go by, lol. You are blessed darling
www.phroonesis.wordpress.com
I've come to realize that love is a synonym to sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteWhen we are able to sacrifice in any way for someone else that is the true meaning of love.
As humans our nature is to look at self first. To demonstrate the TRUE love of God, we need to consider others first.
Beautiful post. God Bless you.
Lovely post. thanks for this reminder.
ReplyDeleteAt some point, i was focused on the love model itself, but then i realised that when I focused on Christ and dying to self, I expressed love without even struggling. It's God's nature expressed by His Spirit afterall.
I realise that the more we die to self, the more easily we are able to love like God intends. Many times, our ego and self is what limits us from expressing love as God calls us to. Death to self means that there is increasingly less of us, nothing like 'why must i call first?', 'do you know who i am?'. LOL.
An auntie once told me to run an intended through the 1 Cor 13 love test and run myself through same as regards him as a true definition of love or not. I think that was great advice.
God bless you!
For real though...this "Love" business can only be done by Grace not flesh.
ReplyDelete@Hannah, that's such a great testimony! May God continue to give you the grace to love like He does!
ReplyDelete@HF, you are so right, love IS sacrifice. It incolves letting go of self for the sake of others. Thanks a lot dear xx
@eloxie, thanks a lot! I think your auntie's advice is so wise! If you can pass both ways then it sure is a great sign!
@Gee, hit the nail right on the head! Thanks for your comment - I believe it's your first time leaving a comment! - Welcome!!! :-) I love your blog xx
Hmmmm,so deep.if you are nt a God lover you can't love pple around u.God is love!more Grace ma'am.
ReplyDelete@Akinade, Amen! Thanks a lot for stopping by and for your comment too.. God bless you xx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Post 1+. God who has called us to love has also EMPOWERED us to love.
ReplyDeleteAnother tip I read somewhere else: Replace the word "love" in that passage with your name and that of your "intended" (Borrowed from Eloxie) and see how you measure up.