1. Love originates with God. We are made in His image, therefore we inherited the ability to love from our Creator. Although every way of man has been tainted by the fall of Adam and Eve, making our love the selfish kind, God is the reason for the existence of love. This means we have to learn to love Him, learn who He is and how He loves in order to properly love others.
2. True, godly love, endures despite the reward or lack thereof. It is unselfish, requiring us to put aside our own selfish pursuits repeatedly. We've all had people love us because of what we could/do offer. But God loves us unconditionally. Nothing we can offer Him can compare to what He gives us. When I realize that, I want to learn to love others unconditionally also. Imagine the healing that could take place if we would let Him do that work within us.
3. Love is also enduring, patient and long suffering. Let's be honest, we live in a quitting world. It sucks to be given up on. Although people will fail us, God never will. He never gives up on us... No matter how many times we get it wrong. Knowing that God does this for us makes any argument of who deserves it and who doesn't a moot point.
4. Real love is an action, despite warm and fuzzy feelings, or absence thereof. It is a verb, not simply a noun. God is the noun part. God also does the verb part in the most pure form. Therefore, He calls us to follow His lead and do the verb end of this great thing.
5. Godly love is gentle, not overbearing or forcive. It lacks control and manipulation, even when the opportunities arise to do so. As we've all heard before, love offers a choice. This means we let people make their own choices, even when we don't agree. We don't try and force everyone to think like us, do what we do or change a heart when it isn't ours to change. We simply love, surrendering to God to do with it what He will. Just imagine how you would feel if you had no choice in that matter. Resentment would build and you would rebel. The greatest acts of love are freely given so there is no point in dirtying up a good thing.
6. Love is also considerate. It is the act of looking for ways to show people love, in ways that register with them. It requires us to use those brains God gave us. And why not since we use them for everything else? It doesn't always come natural, but is always intentional. It is a process of putting aside our needs and wants in order to find ways to meet those of others. I don't always do so well with this. I admit that I think about myself more than I like, and it hinders how much love I show. I am actually seeking to work on this with the Lord's help.
7. Love is rewarding, not depressing and discouraging. Giving unselfishly while also exercising self control within ourselves from seeking to please ourselves not only distracts us from miserable "whoa is me" thoughts but also helps to heal our hearts as we each recognize that this is our ultimata calling in life. It helps us to see how much others need, keeping us from dangerous mindsets of isolation.
8. Love makes forgiveness possible. With God as our foundation and love as the premise to serving Him, we can't continue in any relationship without the willingness to forgive. This means we have to constantly remember all of the above. Otherwise unforgiveness taints every relationship we have and slowly sucks away at our ability to love. Unforgiveness drains us of love as it fills us with selfish thoughts and unrealistic expectations. I can't express enough how impossible it is to forgive on our own since forgiveness is a cycle and is used in the process to purify our hearts. Do not try this on your own.
9. Love requires grace. Grace is unmerited favor. Scripture says that we are to love our enemies as well as our friends and family. Therefore, we have no choice but to practice the grace we are given every moment of our lives. It means we don't respond to others with the lack of love we may feel. It means we actively practice seeing each person as equally deserving as you of love and mercy and grace.
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