The true meaning and definition of love is better understood
from the standpoint of God, because love was created by Him. As the inventor of
love, He formulated principles and guidelines documented in a user manual
called the Holy Bible, to ensure that its essence is beneficial to all, while
protecting its core values. The knowledge of the true meaning of love and its
right application, is the distinguishing factor that sets us apart from the
world.
WHAT IS LOVE?
Love can be defined simply, as the personality of God.
"He who does not love does not know God, for God is
love" -1 JOHN 4:8 (NKJV)
Our knowledge of God is premised on the application of love,
because whenever we show love, we reveal our relationship with God, and also
His personality to the world. The concept of love was never the idea of man,
because man's knowledge of love was premised on the revelation of God to him.
However, for a man or woman to live a life of love, he or she must first live
in God, because when they do, God resides in them.
"And we have known and believed the love that God has
for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in
him" - 1 JOHN 4:16 (NKJV).
FACTS ABOUT LOVE
1. God is love - 1 JOHN 4:8
2. God loved us first - 1 JOHN 4:19
3.Love is a command by God - JOHN 15:12
4. Love brings favour and a good name before God and man -
PROVERBS 3:3-4
5. Love binds all virtues in unity - COLOSSIANS 3:14
6. Love is a requirement for us to live a Godly life - 1 JOHN
4:16
ATTRIBUTES OF LOVE
The attributes of love are distinguishing qualities that make
it easily recognizable, by acting as a guide that enables us to detect and separate
the true love from all other counterfeits that tend to pollute the image of God
in us, thereby distorting our relationship with Him. These attributes are:
1. Love is patient
2. Love is kind
3. Love does not envy
4. Love does not boast
5. Love is not proud
6. Love does not dishonour others
7. Love is not self seeking
8.Love is not easily angered
9. Love keeps no record of wrong doing
10. love rejoiceth not in iniquity
11. Love rejoiceth in truth
12. Love never fails
The attributes listed above can be found in the book of 1
Corinthians 13:4-8, and they are worthy of note, as we examine ourselves to
determine, if we are truly living in God and if our lives reflect God through our actions.
The devil on the other hand tries to distort our relationship
with God by substituting sin for love. Sin is the direct opposite of love,
because it is the personality and nature of the devil, which is at variance
with everything love stands for, because light has no business with darkness (
2 Corinthians 6:14). So whenever the devil presents sin to you by disguising it
as love, you must flee.
Moreover, the world's concept of love is the amplification of
the works of the flesh - Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, idolatry
,sedition's etc, which negates the personality of God. Love is a Spirit, because
God is a Spirit, and for us to love, we must be connected with God in spirit
and in truth (Relationship), for through this relationship, God (Love) is
revealed through us to the world.
The life of believers must continually reflect the attributes
of love on a daily basis, because we must live in God daily, for our lives to
reflect love daily. The concept of designating February 14th of every year as
St Valentine's day or lovers day, negates the teaching's of the Holy Scripture, because God has
the exclusive right of Love and not a man. February 14th of every year, has
become a day of harlotry and whoredom, as people of the world with many
believers inclusive, make plans to defile themselves, while rejoicing in
iniquity. The celebration of St. Valentine's day, has no scriptural foundation,
and it is a deliberate attempt by the world to divert the praises and adoration
meant for God to a man. It is a concept from the pit of hell to celebrate and
amplify the works of the flesh. The works of the flesh, is continually at war
with the spirit (Galatians 5:17), because the flesh cannot please God, and for
that reason, the bible admonishes us to worship God in truth and in spirit (John
4:24).
Our salvation experience is premised on the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, as He paid the price of death for our
sins over 2000 years ago. His death restored Love back to our lives, because God
is love and Love is God. The celebration of Valentine's day as a lover's day
negates that experience, because St. Valentine is not Jesus Christ, and Jesus
Christ cannot be St. Valentine. The blood of St. Valentine did not atone for my
sins, neither did it offer me salvation, but the blood of Jesus Christ did.
Jesus Christ must be
celebrated for His show of love, because He died for the whole world, even when
we rejected Him and did not regard Him, but He died for us all. His death was
not premised on our love for Him, but His love for us, and as a result, we
should be very careful as believers who we ascribe the attributes of love to.
There are a large number of believers dying daily for the love of Christ and
for the sake of the gospel, but we don't take out time to acknowledge their
sacrifice on earth, or even show love to their families, but we are quick to
rejoice in iniquity, all in the name of Valentine's day celebration.
However, the Holy Bible admonishes us to get wisdom, because
wisdom is profitable to direct (Ecclesiastes 10:10), and hence we should live
in God daily, so we can love daily. Love should be a daily experience for every
believer, because the day a man or woman stops loving, is the day that man or
woman starts rejecting the image of God, because God is love.
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