Penned by Jimmie Burroughs
Did you Love? Answer it while there’s still life to live
Better to suffer the pain of problems in this life with love than to have riches without it. Somebody claimed that when life is over, there are only 3 things that matter: did I live? Did I love? Did I matter? I think the other 2 are determined by “Did I Love”. The world today is engrossed in real things, pleasure and infamy, but those things don’t fill the heart, only love can do that; while there is still time, express love.
The clasic statement on love is present in the Bible:
1 If I talk in the tongues of men or of angels, but don’t have love, I am only a convincing 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 will move mountains, but don’t have love, I’m nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to difficulty that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It doesn’t envy, it doesn’t boast, it is not proud. 5 It doesn’t dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it’s not simply angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in malicious but rejoices with the facts. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are predictions, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is data, it’ll pass away. 9 for we know in part and we prediction in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what’s in part disappears. 11 When I was a kid, I talked like a kid, I assumed like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of youth behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see eyeball to eyeball. Now I know in part; then I shall know absolutely , even as I am fully known.
13 And now these 3 remain: faith, hope and love. But the best of these is love. (I Corinthians 13:1-13)
These verses exhibit that love is far bigger than those things that men might sometimes consider great:
Gifted or wealthy
It’s a good thing to be presented or well-off, but that miles away from compares with having love reign in your life.
Great Oratory skills
Who wouldn’t like to be a famous, presented orator who could move an audience and hold them spellbound with words. But to do so without love, according to the Apostle, is as pointless as a tinkling symbol blowing in the wind. Not to love and be loved is a life spent in vain, empty and void of all that truly matters. Wealth alone are like the Scrooge of the Yuletide classic, an existence of loneliness, worthlessness and coldness.
Knowledge
What if beside your name is the symbol of the highest mark of education, and you’ve got the status of being someone of great knowledge; without love it isn’t anything. Nothingness is what all life is without love. A cold loveless heart is a dead heart, prepared for the grave and judgment. I suspect at the judgment the great question will be: “Did you love?”
Faith
As great as faith is, it still falls under the judgment of being nothing without love. Regardless of whether it could move mountains in this life, without love it isn’t anything. To modify the face of the earth with many enhancements is nothing without love. Establishing institutions of higher education, programs of service and outlets of benevolencenothing without love.
Sacrifice
What if I sell all that I have and give it to feed the poor and set up foundations to help the needy so I can boast of my sacrifices and proclaim my good deeds; it isn’t anything without love. Love is more than the stuff we do; it’s the core of our existence, the perspective of our heart, the motivator of our life, and all we do or do without it is vain, useless and nothing.
These verses tell what love is:
What some may count as achieving a life of purpose falls short of what truly matters when life on the planet is over. Love is. All we take with us. Love is understood to be follows:
The Patience of Love
By showing our impatience we show our lack of love. We do not become patient by our self efforts but by our growing love for others. Love lets itself be known through patience. A little child depends on his overseer for instruction and steerage and because he does not yet know how to behave, his actions put a strain on our patience but love understands and shows patience. Patience with others even though their actions don’t measure up is how love acts.
Kindness the Sign of Love
To those whose perspective in life is marked by crankiness, bad temper and unkind words, yours can be explained in 3 words, “lack of love”; love is kindness and a pleasing smile. A kind word is uplifting even to a damaged heart. In an entire world of self-interest, it’s a breath of clean air to be the recipient of kind words from a loving heart. A line from one of Hank William senior’s county songs is so true, “Unkind words make the teardrops fall”. How much better love is that lifts the heart and wipes away the tears.
Love is the opposite of envy
Love is the complete opposite of Envy; envy hates people who succeed and those who have. It can’t stand to be less, but always must be ahead of all others in all things. Envy is also the complete opposite of humble. It cannot see the true values of life but only measures by physical possessions. Love on the other hand is one with itself and content where it is and measures value by quality rather than quantity. Love is happy for others who excel and puts others ahead of themselves by choice.
Love wants others to excel therefore does not boast
Love is humble, objective and feels completely at ease. It has little need to crow because it wants others to be first. It does not flatter and it does not need adulation, but is comfy right where it is and is assured in all things, never seeking praise but always praising when it is due.
Love Takes a great deal of pride in others-not self
Pride comes before a fall but love continues to do its work because it does not seek its own but others. It takes pride but never in self, only in the Lord and the feats of others. There’s really no place for pride, because others quickly recognise the genuineness.
Love honors others and never dishonors them
Love would never choose to have some jollies at some else’s expense but chooses to be the object of the gag themselves. They happily laugh at themselves. They don’t seem to be threatened or belittled. They must honour and would never dishonor someone else. They opt to lift others up and never put them down.
Love searches for others and isn’t self-seeking
We live in an environment in which it seems that everyone is watching out for 1 or self. Nonetheless that is not an outline of love, because love is the opposite; it is watching out for others first, then self; what a change from the standard. You might be wondering, does any person truly do that and the answer’s yes, more than you would likely ever imagine. We are so used to seeing the opposite side, it is hard to imagine that any person would really think of some other person first. It is more common on the battleground where people risk their own lives for others and infrequently lose it for others.
Love is mild behaved and is not easily angered
Anger probably ruins more relationships than anything else, “In hate unpleasant words are claimed that make the teardrops fall”; it is simple to point out unpleasant words in anger but it is hard to take them back. Announcing unkind words out of anger is like opening a feather pillow and scattering it to the wind, once done it is close to impossible to fix the damage. Annoyance is an emotional drive which we all have, that must be addressed and never abused; red hair and family genes is no excuse. It is a thing we all must address in our own lives before it destroys each relationship and even our own life. There is no smarter way to deal with resentment than to let love take its place, because love is not simply enraged.
Love keeps no record of wrongs
The holding of grudges hurt only 1 person and that’s the one holding them. Love keeps no record of wrong doings. Being maltreated by others, even sometimes by those nearest to us, is a common occurrence in life. It can wreck our life by letting those wrong doings build up grudges in our heart. What’s the answer? Just one will work and that is forgiveness through love. This is unconditional clemency even when it’s not requested. The reality is, we will be able to never control what others decide to do, but we will control how we respond to what they do.
Love is good and never delights in malevolent
It is strange that man’s nature infrequently enjoys the agony of others but love never does. Evil collects lots more attention in the news than does. Benevolence and good. The horrible result of the typhoons we see annually across the United State could be “ho hum” to some or “oh well it happens”. I’m sure though if it was their home demolished or their love ones dead it’d be a different matter all together. Love is considerate or empathetic to the agony of others and wants to help to relieve their agony and suffering if at all possible.
Love rejoices with the truth
It sometimes tough to know the truth in a world full of half-truths and cover-ups and downright lies. Nonetheless, truth can be found for people that hunt for it. Bear in mind that there are many who do not want you to know the truth and will make an attempt to keep it from you. It is astounding to me that even parents often mock their own youngsters and disesteem them when they discover the truth of God. One of the best evidences that you have God’s love in your heart is when you take joy in the truth and when you take joy when others discover the actual facts.
Here are a few more strategies that love acts:
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.
“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they can stop; where there are tongues, they're going to be stilled; where there is information, it'll pass away And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.” But the greatest of these is love.
If you suspect that love is unattainable based on the above, I would agree because it goes beyond the human scope. The sort of love described here is of God. Yes it is God’s love for us but it can also be God’s love in us.
There are 4 Greek words for love, 2 are discussed in the Bible, “Agape” and “Phileo”. Phileo is love on a human plane and may also be an especially high type of love. Agape, which is the word utilised for love in I Corinthians 13, is the type of love God has, but it's also the kind of love he wants us to have; but it is only possible thru a private relationship with him. God needs a very tight relationship with every person; in fact he wants to live within your spirit. When God lives within you, then you can let the light of his love shine thru your life. This is called the fruit of the spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faith, meekness and temperance (God’s love exposed). Galatians 5:21.
Conclusion:
It’s correct that Christians occasionally dam up this love and refuse to let it work through their life, but it is there and available to all who believe. If you want to learn more on how it’s possible for you to have this relationship with Our Lord God and luxuriate in the presence of this sort of love in your life, please take time now and learn the simplest way to have a relationship with God.
About the author: Jimmie Burroughs is a motivational speaker and author who has been involved in teaching Christian Personal Development for more than 30 years. He’s a dedicated believer in Jesus Christ and considers helping people his calling in life. His internet site contains over 600 articles on preparing yourself for success thru personal development and the things that accompany private development.