Love?

Ah, love. The very thought of it, brings a certain sence of euforia. But what is Love? How many songs are there dedicated to it, how many poems are writen concerning it, but aside from a feeling most people have no idea what it is! While researching the subject i looked for a deginition for love. What i found was 28 differnt definitions, on one reputable dictonary websit! the definitions ranged from discription of Lust to Idolitry, but not one of thoughs definitions linded up with what the Bible tells us love is.

I was perplexed, so i posted the question on Facebook, What is Love to You? I also asked that they leave the deep thology out of there answer because i am dealing with that. I just want to see if people have any idea as to what love is. I will come back to what was said on facebook.

Lets start with what love is NOT. Love is not an only emotion! There are powerful Emotions attached to Love, and Love its self can be felt. But love is not only an emotion. The reasons so many marrages fail is because they think Love is only an emotion. So in time when the emotions are gone and they do not "feel" love for the other person they think they no longer love that person and want out of the marriage. Now for the record, the love a parent feels towards a child is not the topic of discution here. The love a mother or father feels for there children, is in most parts an unconditonal love. The love a parent feels towards a child is the Love we know that can be compared to Gods Love for us. Now for the record a parents Love if not nurtured will grow cold. I will address this more latter on.

Love is not lust. The reason teen pregnance is on the rise is because teens and adults think that lust and love are synonyms. Even the dictionary results i found have disriptions of lust in the definition of Love. Lust gets cold quick reason 2 marrigaes and relationships fail. People meet and think they are in a Love. Love at first sight. But it is just Lust at first sight. They explode into a passionate relationship that burns out quick leaving both poeple empty and alone.

Love is your passion. For example, I have a passion for books. I like to read, If i could get payed to read i would! I like novels. I am passionate about books. Someone might say i love books. We hear it all the time. I love to hike, or I love coffee. No that is not love thats passion. There is also confusion to what passion is, but that is a differnt blog altogether.

So, what is Love? I posted the question, "what is Love to you?" on my Facebook page. I got some reall good answers. One talked about natural love between people, others talked about love between mother and child. But two people got surprisingly close. But the simple answer i was looking for was, Love is choice. I know many of you are feeling a great let down at this point. Jesus told us to love them that hate us. How do we Love people that hate us and spitfully use us, Jesus said. We choose to. Pastor John was right on when He said we Love people enough to change them, we Love people inspite of there flaws and short comings. Not because we have an over whelming emotional response, but because we choose to. Make the choice to Love becomes easier the more you do it. And by making the choice to Love we engadge the very emotions that we need to continue to Love. Before Love can ever turn into a true deep emotion it must first be a choice.

Many of you are probly questioning me at this point. Parents are probly ready to turn me off right now. After all the Love you have Little Johnny is the greatest force in your life right now. but give it a few years, your love will be tested by Little Johnny, himself. You see having a child does not mean that you auto maticely know how to Love. Many parents fail at showing there child the right kind of love. Sadder still are the countless cases where parents stop loving there children and leave them as they would leave a dog at the pound. This is a sad fact but it is one that any discution on Love must look at. How can a Father that Loves his children leave them for another family? How can a mother that Loves her children neglect them for the countless men in her life. Worse still how can a loving parent murder there own offspring?
The sad fact I am trying to illistate here is that if the Love a parent has for there child is not nurtured it will grow cold and die. You nurture that Love the same way you build love for others. By doing acts of Love. Looking at 1 Corinthians 13 we see the best discription of Love ever made.
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies,
they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it
will vanish away.
Do you see that! It always says Love does or Love does not! Love is acting Love does and Love does not. But here we go to the next level. How can you Love someone that hates you like this? The answer to that question is found in 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We can Only Love others as much as we understand how much God loves us. I can never Love ANY person unconditionaly, untill I understand Gods Unconditional love for me. That goes for my Family, friends, and my enemies.
Choosing to recieve Gods Love for you is the first step in being able to make the choose to Love others. You can choose to Love others but it will never reach full potential till you receive Gods Love for you. Once you recieve His Love you have the emotional responce to beable to choose to Love others. As you continue to Choose to Love others you will find the desire will be there in the Chioce. I Love you all. God Bless.