Love: An Overview

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 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. 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.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

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.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love."

-1 Corinthians 13

Okay, so this is probably one of the most popular passages in Scripture, but does that make it any less relevant as far as looking at the picture of love??? Absolutely not! Look at the list of things that Paul gives that are completely useless without love... when we do things without the love of Christ in our lives, we are going about it the wrong way.
Love is what enables us to do something without expecting anything in return... How often do we do things with the intention of receiving something for our efforts, whether it be material or otherwise? But Christ says that love is NOT self seeking! It does not seek its own, but rather gives concern for others way before it considers itself.
Love is patient... Wow! Love is patient... That should really hit home with a lot of people. I say I love my family, but do I show that when I become short-tempered with them and make snapping remarks towards them? I am, in fact, speaking of myself here. I'll be the first to admit that I am not as patient with my family as I would like to be, and definitely not as patient as God would want me to be! Am I really showing my family how much I love them???
Love does not take into account a wrong suffered... Paul just keeps twisting the knife here! Ask yourself: How many times have I held a grudge against someone? How many times have I demanded justice in a situation in which I was wronged?
What does Christ say to do? I'll tell you what He said, He said turn the other cheek! He said, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me! "Love keeps no record of wrongs" is how the NIV says it... Oh, but we love to keep records! Learn to let go of self, and instead, model the love of Christ. I know people have been running around. misusing this slogan for years, but ask yourself... "What would Jesus do?" Because I don't care how cliche' that might seem to you, it's as true a concept as anything else that the scripture teaches us. "But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;" 1 Peter 1:15

Well, unfortunately I'm going to have to leave it at that for today. Please, take some time to reflect on all of the different aspects of love that 1 Corinthians 13 talks about. I look forward to going more in-depth as this week moves on.

Grace and Peace...