Do You Know What Love Is?

I am at this very moment listening to Mariah Carey's rendition of "I Want to Know What Love Is." And, with today being Valentine's Day, my mind has been mulling over the thought "What is Love?" It seemed only appropriate for the subject of my next Bible study to be Love. And what better place to start than the "Love Chapter" in I Corinthians? That's where I'll begin and I'll expand from there!

I Corinthians 13:4 (I'm going to break the verses down to write each definition of the word love. And, I'm going to list a couple [or a few...] verses after each definition to go along with it.)

• Love is patient.

Romans 12:12~ Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
I Thessalonians 5:14~ We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Ephesians 4:1-2~ Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all himilty and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love....

• Love is kind.

Ephesians 4:32~ Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Colossians 3:12~ So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience....

• Love is not jealous.

Genesis 4:3-15 tells the story of Cain and Abel. Of how the Lord was pleased with Abel's offering, but not with Cain's. Cain was jealous of Abel because of this, and he rose up and killed his own brother! Because of Cain's jealousy and the fact that he acted on it, the Lord cursed him.
Genesis 37, 39-50 describes the story of Joseph. This is probably one of the best examples of jealousy that I can think of. It describes Joseph's life from the time he was 17 years old up until his death. We see how his life played out, from him being his father's beloved son, to his brothers letting their jealousy get the better of them and selling him into slavery. But, praise the Lord, the story didn't end there. Joseph was exalted in Egypt after a couple years of hardship. And his relationship with his family (his brothers, especially) was restored.

• Love does not brag.

James 4:16~ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.
I Corinthians 3:21~ So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to You...

• Love is not arrogant.

Romans 1:28,30~ And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.... slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents....

I Corinthians 13:5

• Love does not act unbecomingly.

I Timothy 4:12~ Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
Colossians 1:10~ ....so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God....
Ephesians 5:3-4~ But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

• Love is not self-seeking.

I Corinthians 10:24~ Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.
Philippians 2:3-4~ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

• Love is not provoked.

James 1:19-20~ This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
Proverbs 14:29~ He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

• Love does not take into account a wrong suffered.

Ephesians 4:32~ Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven you.
I Peter 4:8~ Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

I Corinthians 13:6

• Love does not delight in evil.

Romans 12:9~ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Proverbs 8:13~ "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate."
Psalm 97:10~ Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

• Love rejoices with the truth.

** John 14:6~ Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
III John 4~ I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
Philippians 4:4~ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
I Corinthians 13:7

• Love bears all things.
• Love believes all things.
• Love hopes all things.
• Love endures all things.

Genesis 29:20~ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.
Psalm 100:9~ For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Mark 9:23~ And Jesus said to him, "'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."
Psalm 84:12~ O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Romans 5:3-5~ And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
I Corinthians 13:8

• Love NEVER Fails....

Proverbs 17:17~ A friend loves at all times....
Song of Solomon 8:6-7~ "Put me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on you arm, for love is as strong as death, jealousy is as severe as Sheol; its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, nor will rivers overflow it; if a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, it would be utterly despised.
I Peter 4:8~ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.

Jesus Christ, the ultimate Lover of our souls, proved every single point out of this passage when He gave up His life for us. He loves us so deeply that He was willing to give up His life for us. This is the kind of love that we need to pursue and practice.
Love is not just a feeling. Feelings come and go. If love were just a feeling, it wouldn't be worth much. If love were just a feeling, Christ would not have taken our place on the cross. Love is a commitment. Love is long-lasting. Love is never ending. The only way to know this kind of love is to know God, because God is love.
I John 4:7-10~ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so 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.
So, now the question remains: Do you know what love is?