What love is and is not

Laurie and I are meeting on Monday nights (as often as we can) when I don't have the kids. We are reading through a great book together and then discussing it when we meet. We are reading,"Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health" by Donald S. Whitney. I was introduced to this book at our ladies retreat last year when we were asked to read the first chapter as to be able to participate in one of our discussions. It is a compact little book, but it packs quite a punch! For last night's discussion we read the chapter, "Are you more loving?" This question is expounded on in the chapter and he lists many scriptures as well as poses several heart-probing questions to help you diagnose the state of your heart and soul.

One section of the chapter was so good, that I just had to post it here.

"Love is the badge and character of Christianity. A Christian may advance in many areas, including the ability to witness, teach, or even preach ("Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels"), or biblical insight and knowledge ("And though I...understand all mysteries and all knowledge"), or faith, service, ad giving ("and though I have all faith...and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned"), but these mean little ("I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal...I am nothing...It profits me nothing") without growth in the most important Christian distinctive--love (I Corinthians 13:1-3)."

"When love grows colder, our sin increasingly manifests itself and we look more unlike Jesus. We lose patience easily, whereas I Corinthians 13:4 says that "Love suffers long." Unkindness becomes common, yet love "is kind." We become sinfully envious of the advantages and privileges of others, perhaps even of those in our own family; conversely, "love does not envy." When challenged about our lack of love, we quickly and quite confidently list all th sacrifices and other proofs of our love, and yet "love does not parade itself, is not puffed up." As our hearts harden against love, we become less courteous, specially to those closest to us, in contrast to love which "does not behave rudely" (I Corinthians 13:5). We begin to consider ourselves and our "rights" as more important than others and their needs, whereas love "does not seek its own." When love is in decline we are more easily angered, but love "is not provoked." A lack of love is often faultfinding, and it mentally keeps score of offenses, but love "thinks no evil."


OUCH!!! I hope this might encourage all of us to love more and deeper and better in the days to come.