We have just gone through the Valentine season and of course our thoughts have been turned to the concept of love. Love is such a diverse subject that it is difficult to get on the same page when we discuss it. I would suppose that for the greater part of mankind, love is defined as an attractive emotion. It is thought of as a feeling that attaches us to one another. That “feeling” can be generated by any number of events or conditions; beauty or pity being just two examples. And also I would suggest to you that, that is a noble form of love.
However, I would like to turn your attention to a concept of love that comes to us not in the noun form but rather in the form of a verb. That is that love is an action or behavior. This idea of love is presented to us in First Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
We have before us here clear descriptions of the behavior of love. Love is often declared, however the proof of it is found in our behavior. The idea of “…suffereth long…” is the idea of patience. While we may easily apply and understand this with respect to our behavior toward one another, I would like to challenge you with the thought that this behavior ought to characterize our behavior toward God. We are taught that the greatest commandment is that we love God. Therefore I will conclude that a proper behavior of that love to God is patience.
Because of the limitations of this short article I will jump to the point. Is your love for God demonstrated with a contentment for the issues and circumstances of your life? Do you live each day in a humble and receptive acceptance of life as God has in His sovereign plan delivered it to you? Or do you rather boil and fuss over your present situations? Contentment is a demonstration of our love for God.
