The
word love can be ambiguous, enigmatic, opaque, puzzling, and obscure without
much clarity, when the meaning of love is only partly understood! Humanity, searches for love, and is an
ongoing search in their hearts, and often it is searched in the wrong places.
Ahava (אהבה) – is a Hebrew word meaning “love”. It is often used to refer to the love between two people but can also be used to refer to love for God, family, friends, and humanity in general.(Hebrew word study)
Heart is the seat of all
emotions, and we make choices, based on our emotional intelligence. The words
heart and mind are interchangeably used throughout Scriptures. So, the concept of the “heart” can be better
understood as our inner person. The inner person: becomes the seat of our mind
(thought), emotions (feelings), and will (intentions); Prov. 4:23. Now, “soul”
consists of mind, will, intellect and emotions. When we remember these
concepts, it helps further in our understanding of what Scripture says about
love below:
Love is
patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not
proud. It does not
dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it
keeps no record of wrongs. Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres; 1 Coir. 13:4-7 (NIV).
“The love on which a beautiful love is built is a persevering flame burning as brightly at the beginning as it does later on.” (Glickman)
Love is the attribute of
God, 1 Jn. 4:8. In a “nutshell” as
fallen human beings we are unable to love someone as they longed to be loved.
This is because, no other human being is able to fill the void/ vacuum/ the
spiritual ache/ longing to be loved, and longing for eternity which God has
placed within us. We love because He loved us; 1 Jn. 4:19. Show us how
to love like You have loved us, break our heart for what breaks Your heart, and
open the eyes of our heart to the things unseen, for Your Kingdom’s sake, as we
walk from earth to eternity!
