Love is...

Sometimes, when people tell me that they don’t believe in God, I ask them what sort of God it is that they don’t believe in. Once they’ve told me about an unloving deity who is distant and uninterested, I’m able to say that I don’t believe in that sort of God either. The church is made up of fallible humans like me, and over the years I think, by our words and our actions, we’ve often done a bad job of representing the one in whose name we gather. The Bible tells us that “God is love”, and in the life and teaching of Jesus we see this spelled out in great detail.

God’s standards of love are high. The story of the Good Samaritan, for example, is powerful because it calls us to a love that reaches beyond our prejudices and personal interests. When Jesus tells us to “love our enemies” he’s letting us know that love isn’t always fluffy and feel-good, but sometimes painful and sacrificial; and he puts this into practice when he goes to the cross on our behalf: “greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”. Indeed, love can never just be a feeling and always needs to be expressed in actions – relationships fail when this truth isn’t grasped. Although 1 Corinthians 13 is a passage that is often read out at weddings, it’s a ‘love to-do list’ appropriate not just for couples, but for families and friendships, and society as a whole. In it we not only see a glimpse of the character of God, but also something that we can aspire to and work towards.
 

Love is patient – sticking with it for the long term.

love is kind – making the interests of others a priority.

It does not envy – happy for others, not jealous of them.

it does not boast – not emphasising personal success.

it is not proud – not having a sense of superiority

It is not rude – not putting people down.

it is not self-seeking – not lifting yourself up.

it is not easily angered – slow to anger.

it keeps no record of wrongs – quick to forgive.

Love does not delight in evil – standing against what’s wrong.

but rejoices with the truth – standing up for what is right.

It always protects – looking out for the weak and vulnerable.

always trusts – keeps believing in God and others.

always hopes – remaining optimistic for the future.

always perseveres – gets back up, again and again.

Love never fails – never underestimate what love can achieve.