Ancient Words For Today - 1 John 4:7
Jesus said: This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13 We are to love one another with an unselfish love, in the same way that Jesus loves us. Here is how the Bible defines this kind of godly “Agape” love we are to have for one another:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way;
By contrast, much of the love shared or expressed between people is conditional, based on the continued pleasing performance of the other person. This is seen in the alarming divorce rates worldwide.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the divorce rate in America of first marriages has risen to 50 percent; second marriages are at 60 to 67 percent, and third marriages are at 73 to 74 percent! And the divorce rate for Christians is about the same as for unbelievers!! Not included in those statistics are the many failed relationships of couples who live together, avoiding the formal commitment of marriage and the inevitable legal entanglement if, or when, things don’t work out between them; almost as if they anticipate the relationship will self-destruct at some point.
There is also “love” of the physical attraction and infatuation sort, which frequently results in sexual relations outside of marriage. This has been called “making love”, but the Bible calls it lust, fornication or adultery, which are abominations in God’s sight. Such lustful love is practiced by people of all ages, and is increasingly more prevalent among younger people, including those in their early teens.
Brethren, these things ought not to be!!! So let us be examples to the world by practicing the kind of love for one another that God intended. Such love would turn the world upside down!
it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8