"Christianity is Love." Love is not merely an adjunct of Christianity. "Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." ( 1 John 4:7 )
We should measure our piety or religion by the amount of real, practical love we have to God and to our fellow-creatures.
Christianity is the only religion that not only enjoins, but also empowers persons to love their enemies. To love our enemies does not imply that we love them with a love of admiration or delight; but, like Christ, with a love of pity and compassion.
Love is the all-important thing, the constant and eternal thing; the greatest thing in earth or heaven ( 1 Cor 13:13 ).
Jesus says, "Love one another." John affirms, "God is love." Peter enjoins, "Above all things, have fervent love among yourselves." Paul asserts, "Love is the fulfilling of the law." The whole sum of the law is love to God and man.
Love turns law and rules into living principles, so that we obey the law or keep the commandments instinctively, without thinking of the rule or precept.
The test of character or acceptable religion at the last great day is not creed, or happy feelings or emotions, or church membership, or baptism, or loud profession; but it is love practically and tangibly exhibited ( Matt 25:34-40 ).
In 1 Cor 13:4-8 we have love analyzed. "The spectrum of love has nine elements, nine colors, nine ingredients: Patience, kindness, generosity, humility, courtesy, unselfishness, good temper, guilelessness, sincerity. These make up the supreme gift.
1. Show your love, by word and act, to people while they are living. The love we have for others is largely proportioned by what we do for them. A parent's love is greater than a child's, and a mother's love than a father's, because the service rendered is greater.
2. Be as loving to your own sister or brother as you are to the sister or brother of that other person. A loving brother or sister makes a loving husband or wife, and vice versa.
3. Be at least, as loving and attentive five, twenty-five years, after the marital knot is tied, as you were the month before, or the month after your wedding-day. With many, mutual love increases as the years go by, as the affinity becomes more perfect, and they by look, word and act express their love for each other.
4. Draw forth the love of your sons and daughters, from their earliest age, by warm intelligent love. Love is largely reciprocal. It remains with parents to decide the esteem and love in which they shall be held by their children.
5. Exhibit love to your parents. If they have shattered nerves, broken-down health, or business or domestic worries that may tend to make them irritable and cross, still be loving and kind; so shall you foster and encourage affection in yourself and them.
6. Be loving to everybody. The great power that subdues, wins and conquers humanity is love. "God is love." "We love the Lord because He first loved us." Our success in winning others for Christ will not be determined by our intellectual ability or our elequence, but by the Christ-like love we have for them, and to the extent we impress the truth that God loves them.
Love needs no apology. If you speak with harshness and act cruelly, do not think it is a sufficient apology to say, "The heart is kind," for words and acts proceed from the heart ( Matt 12:34 ).
Cold, or scorching, or bitter, or wrathful words may freeze, or burn, or embitter, or make wrathful; but obedience to Paul's precept, "Speaking the truth in love." convinces, wins, and saves.
Memorize 1 Cor 13 using the word love instead of charity. Often read or repeat it, and think of its meaning. Study and imbibe the mind and character of Christ, so shall your character and life be transformed ( 2 Cor 3:18 ).
7. Love the Lord with all your heart.
There are different degrees of love. This fact is taught by Scripture, and experience confirms it. If the heart be not filled with love, something contrary to love will be there also, as there are no vacuums in our natures ( 1 Cor 3:1-3 ).
An essential law in philosophy is that "no two bodies can occupy the same space at the same time." This law holds good in the spiritual world, so the fulness of love casts out all that is contrary to love. Know by experience the expulsive power of God's satisfying love.
It is the privilege and duty of each to have the love of God so fill the heart that there will be no room for any feeling or principle that is contrary to love ( Mark 12:30 ).
Have you ever wondered "how may I obtain perfect love"? Remember that love cannot be worked up. Love comes from God. It is not an attainment, but an obtainment. Do not make the mistake of thinking of your efforts to attain it, but look to Christ by faith and obtain the fulness of love.
Receive God's gift of perfect love by faith. Some, thinking of themselves, mistakenly try to empty their hearts of what is wrong before they receive the fulness of love. As you cannot empty the darkness out of a room except by letting the light in, and the light, not your efforts, expel the darkness; so you cannot by your tears and endeavors, however great, empty your heart of that which is contrary to love. You should look away from your efforts to Christ, and by faith receive "the love of God" and "be filled with the Spirit", so shall the darkness and wrong be expelled by the magic power of love divine.
Our love is an effect of God's love. "We love the Lord because He first loved us." That is - we believe and meditate upon the love of God in Christ; His love inspires our love; a desire for His love to fill our hearts springs up; we believe Christ is able and willing to satisfy this desire; we trust Him to do it now, and; the great work is done.
The experience of perfect love is retained by staying the mind on the Lord and trusting in Him: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." ( Isa 26:3 ); by habitual, loving obedience to Christ's commands: "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love." ( John 15:10 )
Do you ask, How is this love exhibited? How can love be manifested but by loving thoughts, and tempers, and words and deeds ( 1 Cor 13:4-7 ).
Do not forget that "perfect love" does not make us all act and speak alike, as our temperaments, early educations and emotional natures are different.
As in politics, business, social and family life, whole-heartedness is differently shown by various persons according to their temperaments, so it is in the religion of Christ. One that does not get excited, shout or exhibit much emotion in other things, will not do so in religion, but will be as cool as I am.
The fulness of love is shown, not necessarily by great emotion, clapping of hands and the like; but by loving thoughts, words and actions and by constant obedience to God ( John 14:15, 21, 23 ).
Brother Love
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