Divine Characteristics of Love (Love Series)

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but does not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing 1 Corinthians 13.1-3

Like I stated in the previous post, the word "LOVE" has lost its meaning to the world because it is not being mistaken for lust. But with and in Christ, love is one of the most beautiful human emotions and the greatest commandment from God to man (Matthew 22.37-40). In the opening verse, 1 Corinthians 13.1-3, Apostle Paul gave examples of how life is entirely meaningless and even the gifts of the Spirit cannot work without the love factor, both to God and to man. It is important for Christians to learn, know, and understand the basic attributes of love.

God through Apostle Paul has given us the breakdown of what love is and is not, let us take it one after another:

• Love is Patient. Love never gives up. Love stays. Love endures. For every time you doubt your capability to be patient with someone, think of Jesus as your example (I would have said God, but God was and is never human, which is why He sent Jesus to be our High Priest, experience the same temptations and emotions we experience so He can intercede for us). In all people did to Jesus while He was on earth, He was never quick to judge them or cast a stone upon any. Even when He knew the evil desires of some people against Him, He was still patient and humble enough to endure the shame of the cross for the sake of the same people that did not accept Him. Love endures. I love how the Message Translation explained patience as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It says, not just the waiting, but the attitude while waiting. While waiting, whether on God or man, are you still being submissive and supportive? Do you still worship God and trust Him in the waiting even when the process seems harder? While being patient with your fellow human, could be a friend, a colleague, a parent, sibling, or your boss, are you complaining and grumbling about the problems or are you consistently taking them all to the place of prayer? However, endurance has a deeper meaning than patience. Endurance is what makes you stick through the worst times. It is what makes you say, "This season is tough for me God, but I trust You and I choose to trust and stick with the process You are taking me through". Endurance is what makes you stick through unpleasant situations, situations that you cannot tell if things would get better but you solely lean on God to not only make it better but to help you through it. There is a common misconception of love that needs to be addressed, not only in the church but even with the world. Love endures all things, but love does not put up with everything. Jesus loved and still loves people but He was also quick to correct their wrongs and not be silent about them. Love is outspoken. It does not hold back wrongs, it speaks up to correct the wrongs to prevent hate from festering. Do not think that not being outspoken or not holding people accountable for their wrongs equates to love. As much as God loved His people of the early times, He was always quick to send a prophet to them to tell them when they sinned and what to do. He wasn't quiet and held back about the sins of people just because He loves them. Matthew 16.21-23 shows when Jesus rebuked Peter for trying to stop Him from fulfilling His mission. There are also many instances where Jesus rebuked and called out the Pharisees and Sadducees for their hypocrisy, (Matthew 23.27, John 8.44). It does not mean Jesus stopped loving them from that moment. Love is outspoken and does not throw a blind eye to wrongs, which is why we have been admonished to correct with love, 2 Timothy 2,25.
  

• Love is selfless. It puts others first. This goes along with the next attribute of love, Love doesn't want what it doesn't have (MSG). Love is selfless. It thinks of others before itself. The greatest example of selfless love is the death of Jesus on the cross for the sins of man. It wasn't His sins He was dying for, some of the people He came to sacrifice His life for did not accept Him, majority betrayed Him at the point of His death (at the time the mob was shouting "crucify Him"), yet, He chose to die for us. He chose to put us first over what He wants. At the point of death, Jesus cried to God to take the suffering away from Him (Luke 22.42). Even in the midst of that agony, Jesus chose us over Himself, to die for us. However, this attribute goes along with the second greatest commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22.37-40). You cannot give what you do not have, so if you do not love yourself, you cannot love someone else. Do not mistake self-love for self-care. Self-care is treating yourself nice, taking breaks when you need them, pampering yourself, loving yourself. But self-love is much bigger than that and encompasses a lot. Self-love also involves having boundaries and respecting them, it involves holding yourself accountable for your actions and not letting yourself be the toxic person in a situation. Self-love teaches you to respect yourself, be daring, bold, and courageous enough to go for what you want and not settle for less. When you are able to love yourself this much, it is easier to extend that same love to other people; you learn to respect their boundaries and decisions, you learn to correct people with love, holding them accountable for their wrongs, and go the extra miles for people (it may not be easy, but because you have taught yourself to never stop until you get what you want, you can do the same for other people). That instruction, "love your neighbor as yourself" shows that there should be a healthy balance between putting others first and putting yourself first. As an individual, you know that there are certain things you would never do to yourself or allow to happen to you. In certain cases where that is the situation, it is okay to choose yourself first, step back and say "I love you, but I will not let you do this to me", because truth is, if you normalize the abnormal that someone did to you, you will extend that abnormality to someone else because it has become your new normal. There is a fine line in-between. Love your neighbor as you love yourself also means knowing when to choose you, your peace and sanity over everyone else, and respect your own decision.

There is so much more to the characteristics of love. Stay connected for more updates on the blog, and don't forget the rule, Share to bless! My prayer and challenge for us are to learn to inculcate what we have learned into our daily lives and our conversations and relationships with people.