Love is the word we hear around the
globe and this has a very intoxicating effect on mankind. Love seems to be a
common denominator in every relationship and every one no matter from which
culture they come from wants to be loved. Unfortunately when some one claims
that they love some one else very often they do not, partly because they do not
know what love is. Mankind in general searches for this love and this seem to
be an ongoing search in the hearts of humanity and very often they search in
the wrong places!
love (noun) = ah-hah-VAH (אהבה) to love (verb) = ah-HAHV (אהב)
There is a single word with that meaning: khesed (חסד) It’s pronounced KHEHSS-ehd. the kh is a gutteral sound.
What is the Hebrew word for you love you? "you love you" doesn't make much sense, but it would be: to a
female = at ohevet et atsmekhto a male = atah ohev et atsmekha
Agápe (ἀγάπη agápē[1]) means "love" (unconditional love) in modern day Greek, such as in the term s'agapo (Σ'αγαπώ), which means "I love you".
Éros
(ἔρως érōs[2])
is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. The Modern Greek word
"erotas" means
"intimate love;"
Storge
(στοργή storgē[4])
means "affection" in ancient and modern Greek. It is natural affection,
like that felt by parents for offspring.]2
What is true love and where do we
find it? Expecting something from some one in return of something, fear, lust,
jealousy, possessiveness, and keeping some one to themselves are not genuine
love. Very often even in parent child
relationships and even among spouses in marriages, in the relationships of ‘lovers’ and in a nut-shell most people
on this planet earth never experiences ‘that
perfect love’ and humanity is in search for it together. True love is unconditional. To love
someone unconditionally means that you love the other person in the past,
present and in the future and even when they disagree with your opinion.
My focus of ‘love’ here mainly is on the most primary relationship that is in marriage.
Human beings search and long for something from other human beings which only
God can provide and we all fail to realize this. This is so much so in marriages
that much of the dissatisfaction one experiences in marriage comes from expecting
too much from it. We want to get a major percentage of life’s fulfillment from
the other spouse and one fails to realize that the other spouse is only human
and is limited! Here I am not limiting the joy marriage brings, the sense of
fulfillment, sharing with each other their mental, emotional, physical and
spiritual make up and life altogether! What I am trying to share here is beyond
marriage, the joy and the happiness which God alone can provide in spite of the
situation and circumstances. The focus here is on the spiritual growth and the
marriage simply becomes the context or the vehicle to promote the growth and
exposes lots of truth and weaknesses for spouses to grow in maturity.
“We must never be naïve enough to think of marriage as a safe harbor
from the Fall…The deepest struggles of life will occur in the most primary
relationship affected by the Fall: marriage.”3
In this Fallen world one will never
find a spouse who is not affected by the reality of the Fall. Husbands and
wives are married to sinful spouses who have limitations to express their love,
they may sin against each other, disappoint each other, and may even have
limitations physically which could disappoint, frustrate and even sadden the
other spouse. For example a husband may
have all the best intentions but may lose his temper when he gets back from
work and a wife with all of her desires may not have the energy to perform all
that she wanted to accomplish that day. This is life and reality and even in
Christian marriages this is the norm and one has to understand marriage and
love from God’s perspective and not from the perspective of the world or the contemporary
Hollywood model.
Contempt breeds when we focus on our spouse’s
weaknesses and not able to think about their achievements. “And why beholdest thou
the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in
thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of
thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou
hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou
see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye”. Matt
7:3-5.
“A magnificent marriage
begins not with knowing one another but knowing with God.”4- Gary and
Betsy Ricucci
“From
whence [come] wars and fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of
your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire
to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask
not”. Jam 4:1-2. This verse ironically points us away from focusing on our
spouse and makes us look towards God. Very often marital conflict arises
because we want something and we do not get it, and Book of James specifically
says that we are not getting it because we are looking at the ‘wrong place’. This reduces the demand we
place on our spouse and we begin to look at the right place where it will be
provided unconditionally. This will change us to become Christ-like and we
approach the spouse with the spirit of humility and servant hood. A word of
caution to the above is that there is a wide spectrum of exception to the above
norm.
As we try to fathom the
unconditional love of God who gave His
only Son Jesus Christ to humanity, we get a glimpse of what Love really is; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jn 3:16.
Jesus Christ in His
earthly ministry moved with very sinful people and loved them unconditionally
and taught them to love others as they would expect them to be loved and
honored. He loved Judas the betrayer, the sexual libertine the woman at the
well, the conniving financial cheat Zacchaeus, Peter the disciple who denied
Him and many more who were steeped in sin. Jesus Christ was the only perfect
human being who ever lived to love others unconditionally and taught us to love
and honor our neighbors and especially in the most primary relationship that is
in our marriage. Our relationships and
especially our marriages can become a platform where unconditional love to a
certain extent can be exercised when we try to fathom God’s everlasting love;
Romans 8.
The message here is no human being
can love us the way we long to be loved because no other human being will be
able to alleviate the spiritual ache that God has placed in us. Why don’t we
search and long for that ‘Love’ in
the right place?
Notes:
1. What is the Hebrew word for love
What is the Hebrew word for love?
In: English to Hebrew [Edit
categories]. Answer: noun = ahava (אהבה) verb = ahav (אהב). Contributor:
Adamlance. First answer ....
2. Greek words for love - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_words_for_loveCached - Similar
3. Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman 111.
Intimate Allies. Carol Stream, 11; Tyndale House publishers, 1995.
4. Garry Thomas, Sacred marriage; ‘What if God Designed Marriage to
Make us Holy More than Make us Happy’ Zondervan Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530;
Copy Right @ 2000, pg 73.
Book
References:
1.Payer To Move Your Mountains, “Powerful Prayers for The Spirit-Filled Life.”
(Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville ,
Tennessee
2. Timothy Keller, Counterfeit
GODS, “The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That
Matters” New York Times Bestselling Author of The Reason for God and The
Prodigal God, Published by Penguin Group (U.S.A) Inc; 2009.
3. Jay E.Adams, ‘The Christian Counselor’s Manual, ‘The Practice of Nouthetic
Counseling’ (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973)
4. Timothy Keller, ‘The Prodigal God’ Recovering the Heart of the Christian
Faith; Author of the New York Times bestseller The Reason for God, Published by
Penguin Group (U.S.A) Inc:copyright @2008 Timothy Keller.
5.David G. Benner & Peter C. Hill, ‘Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology &
Counseling’ Second Edition, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1985, 1999)
6.Dr. Larry Crabb, “Effective Biblical Counseling” How Caring Christians can
Become Capable Counselors, (Hammersmith: Marshall Pickering, 1985)
7.The Matthew Henry Study Bible, ‘King James version’ The best of Matthew
Henry’s Notes in a Handy One Volume Reference Bible, World Bible Publishers,
Inc; 1994, Iowa Falls, U.S.A.
8. David Seeking A Heart Like His, ‘Beth Moore’ Life Way Nashville , Tennessee
9.Jay E. Adams, ‘Critical Stages of Biblical Counseling’ Finishing Well,
Breaking Through, Getting Started, (New Jersey: Zondervan, 2002)
10.Jay E. Adams, ‘How to Help People Change’ The Four-step Biblical Process,
(Grand rapids: Zondervan, 1986)
11.John F. MacArthur, JR. Wayne A. Mack & The Master’s College Faculty,
‘Introduction To Biblical Counseling’, “A Basic Guide To The Principles And
Practice Of Counseling”(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers,1994)
12.Jay E. Adams, ‘Lectures on Counseling’ (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,
1978.
13.The Holy Bible, New King James version, Women of Destiny Bible, “Women
Mentoring women Through the Scriptures” A Spirit Filled Life Bible, Thomas
Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, Copyright 1982.
14. Deuteronomy becoming Holy People, Stephen D. Eyre, p:32-26; IVP connect, An
imprint of Intervarsity Press, Downers
Grove , Illinois
add
15. Metzeger, Bruce M. (ed); Michael D. Coogan (ed) (1993). The Oxford Oxford , UK :
Oxford University
16. Mitchell, Stephen, 1987. The Book of Job. San Francisco Tower of Babel , Cambridge ,
MA
17. Stormie Omartin, “The power of a praying wife”, Harvest House Publishers,
Eugene 97402; copyright @1997; pgs69-75.
18. Timothy Keller, ‘The Reason for God” Belief in an age of Skepticism,
Published by Penguin Group, USA ,
New York
19. William R. Miller, Kathleen
A. Jackson, ‘Practical Psychology for Pastors’ The University of Mexico , Prentice
Hall, Upper Saddle River , New Jersey 07458
20. Garry Thomas, Sacred
marriage; ‘What if God Designed Marriage to Make us Holy More than Make us
Happy’ Zondervan, Grand Rapids ,
Michigan 49530
21. Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman
111. Intimate Allies. Carol stream , 11;
Tyndale House publishers, 1995.
Website References:
1. The Love of God
www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/o/loveofgo.htmCached - Similar
The love of God
is greater far. Than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest
star, And reaches to the lowest hell; The guilty pair, bowed down with ...
2. Love
of God - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_of_GodCached - Similar3. The Love Of GodHome Page -
www.theloveofgod.org/Cached - Similar
If this website just doesn't look right, it's probably
because you have a version of Internet Explorer older than version 9 which
simply is not powerful enough to ...
4. For the Love of God
thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/loveofgod/Cached - Similar
5. The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink-The Love of God
www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Attributes/attrib_15.htmCached - Similar
There are many today who talk about the love of God,
who are total strangers to the God of love. The Divine love is commonly
regarded as a species of amiable ...
6. The Love of God - general-conference
www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/the-love-of-god?lang...Cached
7. Resources on The Love of God - Desiring God
www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/topic-index/the-love-of-godCached
8. Love
Of God
www.allaboutgod.com/love-of-god.htmCached - Similar
Love Of God - Is the
Creator a God of Love? God's
Love revealed. God's Love foretold. God's Love manifested through His only
Begotten Son.
theguide2.com/true-meaning-love/Cached
4 Jan 2011 – Most people who claim to love
someone don't really love them, because they don't know what love
actually is. Sponsored Links: What is love ...
This post is solid, Biblical counsel that will help all who read it. Not only love, but all of the good things of this world fail to ultimately satisfy us, because they are not God.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bishop Dennis for your encouragement and it is so true that all the good things in this world would ultimately fail to satisfy. One can find satisfaction in finding the true love, and that id God.
ReplyDelete