February is most often the month of love. We have talked about what love means to you and about what love is according to scripture. Today, I’d like to talk about what love is NOT.
Love does not envy or boast. (1 Corinthians 13:4)
Love is not arrogant or rude. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)
Love does not insist on its own way. (1 Corinthians 13:5)
Love is not irritable or resentful. (1 Corinthians 13:5)
Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing. (1 Corinthians 13:6)
Love has no fear. Perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18)
How often are we guilty of these things that love is NOT? There have been so many times that I have been jealous or harbored animosity against people within my sphere. There are days that I am arrogant, seeking things that I believe I deserve as much as some other person. There are days I am rude and insist on my own way. Some days, I can be irritable and resentful. Other days, I can be delighted when something goes poorly for someone else thinking that they “deserved” it. I’d be amazed if we all didn’t admit to having these same actions and reactions, because we’re all human and susceptible to human emotions.
1 John 4:18 tells us love is not fearful. “Perfect love casts out fear.” The first thing that comes to mind when I think about what “perfect love” might be is God’s love for us, His children.
Jesus tells us in John 3:16-17 (ESV), “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
What a blessing it is to know that God loves us so much that He would send His only son to walk on Earth with us, show us the way to live, and then sacrifice His life on the cross to offer us salvation and life everlasting. God models this love for us as a way to emphasize the importance love has in our world. His greatest commandment is to “love one another.”And His love is the greatest love there is. His love calms my soul and assuages my anxieties. His love reminds me that as long as I am still breathing, He still has a plan and a purpose for my life.
God’s love is perfect love. God’s love dispels fear and strengthens faith. God’s love is our guiding light through this dark and troubling world. God’s love is all we need to keep walking forward without fear.
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