Love is Just a Feeling, or is it Much More

Love is Just a Feeling, or is it Much More?

by Julianna O.

            Love, what is it? Some people might think its an action, others might think its an emotion and some might think its just a feeling. To tell you the truth, all those people who are saying that about love is technically right. Most people have no idea what love is. In 1 Corinthians 13, it talks about what love is not and what it is. I will start off by taking you into the mysteries of love by starting in 1 Corinthians 13:1.

            “If I speak the languages of men and of angels, but do not love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all the faith, so that I can move the mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). The first few verses of 1 Corinthians 13 talks about what you have gained if you do not love. In verse 1, we see that if someone were to talk in the languages of men and angels but doesn't love will sound like a gong or a clanging cymbal, basically what that means is that when you speak but don't have love you are loud. Verse 2 says that if you understand all the mysteries, same as knowledge, because of prophecy and have all the faith but don't love, you are nothing. If you know a lot about God but don't love you are nothing. Verse 3 says that if you donate everything you own to feed the poor and give your body to be burned but don't have love, you gain nothing. If you do good deeds but don't love you gain nothing. It is as simple as that. Now you are probably wondering, what is love? How can I love? Well, I have an answer for you.

            If you read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, you will know what love is. “Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited; does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes in all things, hopes in all things, endures all things.” Love is patient, kind, rejoices in the truth, and bears, believes, hopes and endures in all things. That is the basic meaning of the love that God has given us (also known as agape in Greek). Also agape means loving someone even if they don't deserve it. Isn't that what God did for us by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins because he loves us even when we didn't deserve it? I know the answer to that, and the answer is yes. God did send his Son to die and save us because God loves us.

            In order to love like Christ does, you must understand His love for you! In 1 John 4:7-8 it says “Dear friends, let us love one another because love is from God and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God because God is love.” These verses are saying that God is love! If you don't have love you do not know God but if you do have love, you have been born of God and know God. So, let us love each other, and God, for He is love.

            I hope I have inspired you to love each other as God has loved you because I know I have been inspired to write this article. I was inspired by my youth group pastor, who was talking about agape (love). At first, when I heard him talk about love, I was like, “I am not going to like this topic” but I eventually got hooked into the topic, which inspired me to write this article. Anyways, just remember God's love for you is greater than any love you have ever  experience.