What Is Love?

“If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing” I Cor.13:2

The vertical side of love is how God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so everyone that believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life [John 3:16]. It is love that God will call us His own and make us His own children. It is love that we have access to the Father.

The horizontal side of love: Please read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. The contention or the pull in the church today is between spirituality and charity. A part of the church is tilted unevenly toward spirituality; and another side of the church is tilted unhealthily towards charity. Some say it is all about the power of the Holy Ghost, speaking in other tongues, interpretation of tongues, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and prophecy. Others say it is all about feeding the poor, clothing the naked, being charitable, and doing all the charitable works. There is a pull as though God is saying to us choose one, it is either or. But if you look at scripture, you will see it is possible to be highly spiritual and heavenly useless. You can be highly spiritual on earth but heaven is saying, what are you doing? The Amplified version of the Bible describes such a person as being a useless nobody. So a person can prophesy accurately but if that person does not have love, God says he or she is a useless nobody. I do not want to be a useless nobody and I am sure neither do you. This love thing must be so important to God. Love is so powerful that the Word of God says God is love. So if I do not act in love, all I say will be noise. “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but don’t have love, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” 1 Cor.13:1. In other words, empty – no spiritual significance. Even though I am speaking with the tongues of men and angels, if I do not act in love all I say will be noise. So we see clearly from this scripture that spirituality is not love. So for those who are tilted unhealthily towards spirituality, that by itself is really not what God is about. And for those who are tilted unhealthily towards charity, you will be shocked that charity is not love. “If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I don’t have love, I would have gained nothing” 1 Cor. 13:3. It means it is possible to give everything you have to the poor and still lack love. Jesus says let your light shine before men so that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven [Matt.5:16]. God expects us to do charitable works do not get me wrong. But we see in scripture that charity is not love, and spirituality is not love. Love is a person. God is love.

Prayer: Father, please give me a deep and life changing understanding of what loving Your way means and help me practice it, in Jesus Name.