Tuesday, February 16, 2010

It's all about love

Love- It is amazing how much this simple, four letter word can be used in so many wrong ways in today's modern English language, don't you think?

People go out and about and use the word love, without even knowing what it means. People say "I love you" and not mean it, that is why it is so hard to say the "l" word sometimes.

The Bible sets many examples of what love is. In fact, there are many, many examples of what love is but the biggest one, is the love shown from God for giving His One and Only Son to die for our sins. I tend to think and ponder a lot about this act of sacrifice. I admit, I am a selfish person and it is not easy for me to give up anything or give things away to people, even those that I am close to; yet to imagine that my Creator would have such a love for me is amazing.

Today I got this verse from my pastor and I have been thinking a lot about it since, it is 1 John 4:7-12

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.


This specific passage has been engraved in my mind all day, specially since it was Valentines just a couple days ago.

I am not a big fan of Valentines, in fact, I can't stand this holiday. I believe it is such a manipulation from stores, flower shops and card companies to get money. It celebrates our materialism and how in the world (or more specifically here in the US) love= money and possesions.

Not only that, but Hollywood and the media have completely glamourized love and turned it into something material and not what it was originally intended to be. Now a days, people go around, pretending they are in love or not even taking it serious. Marriage seems to be the less popular option and couples stop trying at the first bump of their relationships. There are popular reality shows that glamourize the "sexy" side of "love". You have all these trashy "love shows" with all these trashy girls and stupid guys that just want to get their 15 minutes of fame, pretending that they want to be with the guy/girl from the show but knowing it would never work out.

I am against love that is taken for granted. I want to love, the way Jesus did!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(John 3:16)
We all know this verse by heart, I have heard 4 year old kids say it and not mess up on any word, we even may say that every Christian must know this verse. But do we really understand what it says? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is this: Our Heavenly Father who loved us so much that gave us His OWN Son to die for our sins. For my sins and your sins, for those that you commited and with commit. God is so merciful and we don't deserve His grace at all...yet He gives it to us!

This is another perfect example of what love is, it can't be any simpler than this:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of 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 truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 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.
(1 Corinthians 13:1-8)

I have always loved this passage because it explains that no matter what we do, if there is no love, then it's all worthless. Many people like to brag and boast about things they do, but if there is no love, then what is the point? Others say that they do many good things, but what motives do they have if it is not because of love?

We can't do anything without love and compassion! I think we get so enraptured in the things that we do that we forget what our reasons and motives are: to bring the glory to the Kingdom of God.

So there you go, just a little rant about love.

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