Substance Of Love Series

b. Love is not¡K

„X Proud ¡V ¡§The fellow who is deeply in love with himself should get a divorce.¡¨ - 14,000 quips and quotes Love is always focused on the needs and greatness of the other person. When I am expressing pride, I am focused only on myself. Pride says that my needs are more important than your needs. Pride says that you are here to benefit me, to make me feel good, to make me look good. But love says that I am here for you.

„X Rude ¡V It¡¦s the idea that I¡¦m going to put you ahead of me. I¡¦m going to let you know you important you are to me. When we enter into a conversation, I¡¦m going to block out every other person and every other distraction so that I can give you my 100% undivided attention. I¡¦m not going to watch TV, read the newspaper and pretend to listen to you all at the same time. I¡¦m not going to interrupt you, and I¡¦m not going to let anyone else interrupt the time that I have devoted to you.

„X Self ¡V seeking (¡§demand its own way¡¨ ¡V Living Bible)

"Dearest Jimmy, No words could ever express the great unhappiness I¡¦ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you¡¦ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you! Yours forever, Marie... P.S., And congratulations on willing the state lottery."

„X Irritable ¡V You know when I get irritable? It¡¦s when someone interrupts my plans, my goals and the fulfillment of my needs. In other words, when you get in my way, I get irritated at you. So whenever I am irritable, the focus is once again on me, not you.

c. Love does¡K

„X Rejoice with the truth

„X Always protects the reputation ¡V cover, pass over in silence, keep confidential; roof [¡§throws a cloak of silence over what is displeasing in another person¡¨]

(1 Peter 4:8) ¡§Love covers over a multitude of sins.¡¨ Love is willing to overlook a fault for the sake of a relationship.

Love allows no room for gossip.

„X Always believes the best

It isn¡¦t that God¡¦s kind of love is gullible, believing everything that it sees and hears. That¡¦s what blind love does. God¡¦s kind of love is the kind of love that believes the best about a person even when it knows all of their faults.

I heard a definition of the contrast between infatuation & love. It says, "Infatuation is when you think your husband is as handsome as Tom Cruse, as amusing as Rodney Dangerfield, as intellectual as Albert Einstein, as devout as Billy Graham, & as athletic as Hulk Hogan." That is infatuation. "Love is realizing that your husband is as handsome as Albert Einstein, as intellectual as Hulk Hogan, as devout as Tom Cruse, as athletic as Rodney Dangerfield, & as amusing as Billy Graham. But you love him anyway." You see, there¡¦s a big difference between infatuation & love.

„X Always hopes for a future ¡V it expects great things in the future.

„X Always perseveres to the last ¡V it remains instead of fleeing. It stands its ground and endures in the face of trouble, affliction, persecution and suffering. Love hurts. ¡§To love at all is to be vunerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin or your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable...The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers...of love is Hell.¡¨ - C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1960. If love is real, then it will stick around no matter how much pain it is enduring.