Fruit That Is Never Out Of Season: Love Series

FRUIT THAT IS NEVER OUT OF SEASON

LOVE

I Corinthians 13:4

John Maxwell

INTRODUCTION:

Today I want to talk to you about love. Out of a kids’ book, Love is Like a Crayon, Because it Comes in All Colors, I brought you a couple statements from kids. This first statement is from Camille, aged 9. They asked Camille how to get someone to fall in love with you, and here’s what this little 9-year-old said: "Shake your hips and hope for the best." This is from Tammy, aged 10. They asked Tammy about kissing, and she said, "It’s never okay to kiss a boy. They always slobber all over you and that’s why I stopped doing it." And then one more from Bob, 9. They asked Bob if he new any original love songs. This little 9-year-old boy said, "Yes, I do. ’I’m in Love With You Most of the Time, But Don’t Bother Me When I’m With My Friends.’"

I have discovered that love is something you make on occasions and fall into at other times. It’s been known to produce broken hearts and goose bumps, loss of appetite and starry eyes. It’s inspired some to die and others to kill. Love may make the world go ’round, but it certainly causes a lot of confusion in the process.

Misconceptions about love:

1. Love is only a feeling.

A lot of you think love is some kind of an emotion. It’s a knot in your stomach, a certain kind of physical feeling that you have. We’re always searching for that feeling. Because some of us think that’s all it is, we talk about falling into love and falling out of love, which basically means we either feel emotion or we don’t feel emotion.

2. Love is uncontrollable.

When people talk about being in love, they say, "I feel giddy. My head’s spinning. I’m weak in my knees." I think back at the songs that were popular when I was growing up in the 60’s.

"Who Put the Ram in the Rama Lama Ding Dong? Who was that man, I’d like to shake his hand, for making my baby fall in love with me?" You know, back then, songs had content. You know what I mean? Well, I don’t know if the ram in the rama lama ding dong makes somebody fall in love with you or not, because it’s more than a feeling. And love is certainly not uncontrollable. If we believe that it’s uncontrollable, that it’s just something that happens to us, then, of course, the result is that we fall into it. It’s something we cannot change. And of course, that’s wrong.

Somebody said that we need a higher quality of love. I believe that. A higher level. And that’s what we’re talking about today. You see, puppy love does not last through the dog days of life. And I want love that’s going to last longer than a two-hour movie or a 250-page novel.

Today, we’re going to look at love that will really make a difference in our life, in our relationships, in our marriage, and in working relationships. So let’s get going.

Two things we can do to keep love alive:

1. Ask what love is.

2. Act like love acts.

Ask what love is...

1. Love is a matter of choice.

"And over all virtues, put on love, which binds them all together." Colossians 3:14

It’s not something we are a victim of; it’s something we choose. Underline that phrase: "over all virtues put on love, which binds them all together." Now, Paul wouldn’t have asked us to put on something you can’t control, that you can only feel.

2. Love is a matter of conduct.

"Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and truth." I John 3:18

It’s more than what we say; it’s a behavior. In this passage,, John was telling us to back up our love with our actions.

A guy was always telling his girlfriend, "Oh honey, I would die for you." And she said, "Oh, you’re always telling me that, but you never do it." Since the football play-offs are on right now, a wife comes to her husband and says, "You’re always watching the football game. You must love football more than me." He says, "Yes, I do honey, but I love you more than basketball." Now, we not only need to define love, we need to act like love acts. Now we’re going to get into the great love chapter: I Corinthians 13.

Act like love acts...

1. Love is alive when it has patience ... dying when it is hurried ... dead when it cannot wait.

"Love is patient" I Corinthians 13:4

"Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other’s faults because of your love."