Love. What is love? How does one defines love? There are 2 definitions about love - the World's definition and God's definition.
The World defines Love as: (1) Primarily for the fulfillment and comfort of self (2) Primarily a feeling (3) Is beyond our control
To feel love is not wrong but in most cases, we tend to put our feelings the upmost priority of measuring love, we put ourselves as the main importance. In fact, our feelings by themselves do not do others one bit of good.
By stressing the importance of feelings, most of the time, we forget the importance of putting love in action. And when we evaluate the quality of our love for someone else, simply by our own fulfillment, we are being selfish.
Have we always wonder why people say that they are falling in love? Why "fall" and not others? What do these statements reveal about our attitdues toward love? Part of the reason we make these overstated and illogical reasoning is because the word "fall" removes personal responsibilities. If a person falls into a pit, what he/she can do about it?
1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Paul said: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, awlays perserveres. Love never fails."
The bible has very different views about love. God defines love by pointing to his one and only beloeved Son. This was also the only way which we may be saved through the shedding of Jesus Christ's blood. And all who find forgiveness and life through Jesus are called to follow in His steps - to love others because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
"If anyone would come after me," Jesus said, "he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24).
Jesus Christ taught love. And his definition of love is that love is not for the fulfillment of self but for the glory of God and the good of others.True love is selfless. It gives; it sacrifices; it dies to its own needs.
"Greater love has no one than this," Jesus said, "that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13).
True love is not measured or governed by feeling. Christ demonstrated. He went to the cross when every emotion and instinct in His body told Him not to turn himself in. Mark 14:32-34 says, They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, " he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." Jesus clearly did not feel like enduring the beatings, hanging, humilation on the cross, and enduring God's wrath for sin.
Did Jesus Christ deserved that? Was he obliged to do it for us? No. But because God love us and therefore He is willing to send his one and only beloved Son down to Earth to die for our sins. (John 3:16).
"If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15). True love always expresses itself in obedience to God and service to others.
Good feelings are nice but not necessary.
Jesus's example also shows us that love is under our control. He chose to love us. He chose to lay down His life for us. We have a choice to love and we should base our love through choice.
"If we can fall in love (world's definition), we can also fall out of love. But not for God's love."
Therefore, we can express true love in obedience to God and service to others - not reckless or selfish behavior - and we can choose this behaviors.
