I Want to Know What Love Is
By Carolyn Hulliberger
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
1 John 4:11
God created in our spirits a desire to give and to receive love. His Word clearly directs us to love each other. From daytime soap operas to The Bachelorette, from the magazines at the check-out counter to the latest self-help book, everyone seems to have an opinion on love, be on a quest to find it, or be desperately trying to keep it from slipping away. But what is true love supposed to look like?By Carolyn Hulliberger
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
1 John 4:11
First Corinthians 13:4-8 is perhaps the most quoted reference on the topic. It says: “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, always perseveres. Love never fails.” So how do you know when someone loves you? A youth counselor once told me, when sizing up a potential mate, substitute the man’s name where the words “love” and “it” appear in these verses. When I found someone that this was mostly true of, then I would know that I had a keeper - and she was right!
What convicts me, though, is substituting my name in for “love” within these verses. Would the people around me find that: I am patient, I am kind. I do not envy or boast. I am not proud. I am not rude or self-seeking, easily angered, or keeping a record of wrongs (real or perceived)? I often fall short in these attributes, as you probably do, too. But as followers of Christ, we should all aspire to be known as people who love well those that God has placed in our lives.
No person is able to measure up to this standard all the time. Only the name of Jesus can complete these sentences accurately. He is the living example of these verses…and true love.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are you accepting “imitation” love for the real thing? Seek true love first from Christ.
2. Substitute your own name for “love” in these verses. Pray for God to show you how to better display His love in you to others.
FURTHER READING:
2 John 5-6, 1 John 4:7-12
Along with caring for her husband, two children and the dog, Carolyn is an Office Representative for State Farm Insurance, serves as a small group leader for Wednesday p.m. Bible study, and is the treasurer for Women’s Ministries.
