The bible speaks much on love, and tells us that it is the greatest of all gifts: And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:13 NKJV)

The more that I study on love, the more I realize why it is the greatest gift. It is the source from which we draw strength to make use of other gifts. It is what enables us to make commitments… and keep them. It is what guides us and helps us to make the right decisions for ourselves and others. True love is what makes us feel so incredibly happy from the inside out that nothing else can bring us down. 

Love is a gift from God. We must remember (and appreciate) this in all that we do, and use the love within us accordingly. To use this gift in the wrong way means that we bring negatives upon ourselves: greed, heartache, pain, sickness, hardship and more.

It is important that we understand the nature of true love, as it is a beautiful and rewarding gift. Used correctly it is the means by which we can gain true happiness in life, peace within us… and much more.

When asked which of the ten commandments was the greatest, Jesus responded by pointing out the two commandments based on love:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 22:37-40 KJV

This is further proof of just how important love is… and why we should all seek true love. Let me share with you how the bible defines love:

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.
(1 Cor 13:4-7 NIV)

True love is a beautiful gift. You cannot make someone love you. And you cannot choose who you love. This is how you can be sure that it is a spiritual gift from God. You have no control over it yourself.

People who try to control love, or have control over love, do not experience the rewards of true love. It seems there is much evidence of this in our world today. Of people who ‘love in vain’, misrepresent love, or fool others with false love. What type of results do you see from this?

Read back over the scripture from 1 Corinthians, in chapter 13. Does this define the way that you love the people around you? Does this define the love that you feel from others? Does it define the way that you feel about God, and the way that you believe God feels about you?

Pray for true love in your life. To be surrounded by loving people. To understand and realize love as a gift. To love and be loved.

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