love

Love -

1 Corinthians 13: 1-13
-And now I will show you the most excellent way: If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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 have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 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 ruth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preservers. Love never fails, but where there are prophecies they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled. Where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put my childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part ; then i shall fully; even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. but the greatest of these is love.

This section in scripture is awesome. As I mentioned in a post before, to me love seems to be a huge theme throughout the bible. I think that the end of this scripture sums it up( And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. but the greatest of these is love). There are many different types of love....... God's love, wife/husband love, christian brother and sister love, parental love, the list goes on and on. There are mounds and mounds of scripture references pointing towards love. I think that the examples of God's love are obviously and are guidelines for how to love. I think that God's biggest act of love was in John 3:16. He proved his love for us by sending his son to die.

One of my favorite verses on love is when us men are instructed to love your wife as God loves the church. Wow, is that a huge burden or what? To me though, I see it as a challenge that I cant wait to take on. I want to love my future wife(Erin) as much as a God loves the church. She deserves that kind of love, any wife does. I think with those words, we as men are challenged to live up to God's standards on love, which leads back to 1 Cor. 13 -

"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 ruth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preservers."

These should be our guidelines on loving our husband/wife, christian brothers and sisters, parents, friends, loved ones, authority figures and so on.....

I know this is a lot of jumbled thoughts thrown together, but hey, its just what ive seen from this scripture.

Wiki