"Love suffers long
<and> is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not
puffed up; {5} does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not
provoked, thinks no evil; {6} does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices
in the truth; {7} bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things. {8} Love never fails. But whether <there
are> prophecies, they will fail; whether <there are> tongues, they will
cease; whether <there is> knowledge, it will vanish away," (1
Corinthians 13:4-8).
The Bible says more
about love than any other book. God is love (1 John 4:16). God's love is
perfected or brought to maturity and completion in His people (1 John
4:12). God demonstrated His love for man by sending Jesus to die (Roans
5:5-11). God wants His people to love one another and all other people
as He has loved us (John 13:34-35; 1 Thessalonians 3:12). Our love for
others is to be genuine (1 Peter 1:22).
The Bible says that we
are to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44).
This involves seeking
their good while they in turn seek to harm us. In this we imitate the
example of Jesus as He hung on the cross (Luke 23:34). Our dominant
feeling toward even those who seek to harm us should be one of love
(Romans 13:8).
The Bible says that
husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies (Ephesians 5:28).
Wives are to love their husbands (Titus 2:4). Parents are to love their
children (Titus 2:4). Love builds up the family and causes it to remain
strong even in the face of hardship and temptation (1 Corinthians 8:1).
The Bible says that we
are to love God supremely (Mark 12:30). As our love for God grows it
gives us greater confidence and boldness in our relationship with Him (1
John 4:16-18). If we claim to love God in this way we cannot harbor
hatred and malice toward other people (1 John 4:19-21). Instead, we
should always seek to grow in our love for our fellow man (1
Thessalonians 4:9-12; Mark 12:31).
The love of God is so
powerful that we can never be totally separated from it in this life
(Romans 8:35-39; Ephesians 2:1-7).