WHAT IS LOVE?

Love is the best word to describe God. The appostle John simply stated it: 'God is love' (1 John4:8). From what God is and what God does we can understand the deep and significant emotion called love. Gods love was most manifested by the ultimate gift he gave mankind: 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have evalasting life' (John 3:16). Love, you see, is not a feeling of selfish tingling emotions like the flaming sunset in an orange colored sky. Its not the feeling of desire and passion so often mistaken as love. Real love is the ability to put ones selfish interests and feelings aside and give to the other person. Outside of marriage, the passions that lead to sexual experimentation are nothing more than lust. Can you imagine a teenage couple necking in the backseat of a car whispering to each other, 'Oh, how i lust after you'? No, they say, 'Oh, how i love you, i love you, i will always love you.' But what they really mean is, 'I am lusting after you.' The chances are that the affair will last only a short time and they will each be whispering the same thing to another person later on. Love-real-love is not even possible without degree of maturity. Mature love that prepares a couple for a lifetime of marriage and commitment begins slowly and grows. Love never stand still. Of course love has to start from somewhere. Romantic love begins with an attraction to a member of the opposite sex. There will probably be a begining feeling of infatuation but love that leads to marriage must grow beyond that and not be based on attraction alone.