Love

What is Love?

God = Love | Love = God

1 John 4:7;16

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.

Love is a state of existence (1 John 4:16), in which emotions are evoked and choices are made (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).

Manifesting as the first Fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

Love does not envy.

Love does not brag.

Love is not puffed up.

Love does not behave inappropriately.

Love does not seek its own way.

Love is not provoked.

Love keeps no account of wrong.

Love does not rejoice over injustice.

Love rejoices in the truth.

Love bears all things.

Love believes all things.

Love hopes all things.

Love endures all things.

Love never fails.

- 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬8a TLV

Note that all these aspects of what Love is, entails both:

• emotions; and
• choices

i.e., hope is emotional, but also requires a choice to hope; likewise, bearing all things may feel disparaging, but we can chose to do so in spite of the pain we may feel.

And the ability to manifest all these characteristics of Love come from the Spirit in us.

We may long for the feeling of love, but often we have to chose to love--even when we don't feel like wanting to love; or don't have the capacity to feel love.

And sometimes, we can just feel love without even trying to choose.

If we only see love as a feeling, we isolate everyone else in this world we don't feel love for.

If we only see love as a choice, we miss out on such amazing feelings that love brings in our soul.

Both of these aspects of love are of the Lord--for He chose to demonstrate to us the Love He already feels for us!

And we in-turn can do so towards the Lord, to all others, and to ourselves.

Sometimes, it is just we have to remove whatever obstacles are in the way.

Mark 12:30-31
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

It takes determination, courage, and trust to be able to want to have that full love flow in these four areas: heart, soul, mind, and strength  (ability).

We may not feel like doing it, but we are told to do it--a choice we must make. When we feel the want to do it, the choice to do it may be easier. But even when we don't feel like doing it, we can choose to do it (even if it feels like a lie to us to love someone we want to be bitter and angry and resentful to).

So push into Love, no matter the cost to your own internal conflict.

The Spirit will help you overcome your flesh that doesn't want to love.