Love is a subject that is endless to explore, and not just on Valentine’s Day. Usually once a year, I would ask my students to get into groups and each group was to come up with a definition for love. Given that I taught English as a second language on the university level, this discussion was lively as the students were often from very different cultures, religions and had different world views. I heard many different definitions for love. The most bizzarre though was, “love is hate.” The group tried to explain it, but I must be honest, I still don’t get where they were coming from. However, what this exercise did, was not only get the students using their English for disussion of abstract ideas, but it also showed me that these students were really lost when it came to understanding what true love is. I then had the opportunity to teach a bit about love, explaining that love is a choice, not a feeling. Believe me, this made me more than a bit controversial. However, God’s love will always be controversial in a secular world.
God’s Love
What follows is nothing new to Christians, but I think we need to contemplate His love as the US has been swept up in riots and looting in recent days. When an injustice occurs, we do experience righteous indignation, but we don’t need to go to destruction and hatred. In fact, these are the exact times when unconditional love is called for.
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13: 1-8, 13 (NLT)
Unconditional Love Challenge
We talk about love all the time, but do our actions bear out our words? This week, I’m issuing a challenge. Choose one of the aspects of unconditional love mentioned in I Corinthians and select a person to show your chosen aspect of love to. Then write and tell us how it went. Let’s encourage each other in showing God’s love to them. We can make this world better one person at a time. Now go! Show love!
