What is love?

Agape: God's love

expressed through His body as

we grow in the Lord.

What is the God-kind of love? Dictionary definitions don't come close to expressing the fullness of it. Here's the best definition you can find. It is an expanded interpretive translation by Rick Renner of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

"Love patiently and passionately bears with others for as long as patience is needed; Love doesn't demand others to be like itself; rather it is so focused on the needs of others that it bends over backwards to become what others need it to be; Love is not ambitions, self-centered, or so consumed with itself that it never thinks of the needs or desires that others posses; Love doesn't go around talking about itself all the time, constantly exaggerating and embellishing the facts to make it look more important in the sight of others; Love does not behave in a prideful, arrogant, haughty, superior, snooty, snobbish, or clannish manner; Love is not rude and discourteous - it is not careless or thoughtless, nor does it carry on in a fashion that would be considered insensitive to others; Love does not manipulate situations or scheme and devise methods that will twist situations to its own advantage; Love does not deliberately engage in actions or speak words that are so sharp, they cause an ugly or violent response; Love does not deliberately keep records of wrongs or past mistakes; Love does not feel overjoyed when it sees an injustice done to someone  else but is elated, thrilled, ecstatic and overjoyed with the truth; Love protects, shields, guards, covers, conceals, and safeguards people from exposure; Love strains forward with all its might to believe the very best in every situation; Love always expects and anticipates the best in others and the best for others; Love never quits, never surrenders, and never gives up; Love never disappoints, never fails and never lets anyone down."

This is how God loves us. As we mature in Christ this description of love also becomes a description of us. It doesn't happen overnight and it won't happen automatically. Yet, it doesn't have to be a strain. Simply submit to God's Spirit working in you.

Start saying the above definition about yourself out loud. You could do the short version most days: "I am patient, I am kind, I am not jealous...", and the expanded version when you need a reminder of what kindness looks like under the microscope: "I don't demand others to be like myself; rather, I am so focused on the needs of others that I bend over backwards to become what others need me to be." That goes against our nature. We naturally want to look out for ourselves, because if we don't who will? That's not the God-kind of love. Trust Him. Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 22:36-39, Matthew 24:4-13