What is Love?

This past week was the observance of Valentine's Day.  As this special day approaches, everyone has an expectation of recieving gifts from children at school to family members to individuals in a relationship. As I reflected this week numerous times, Valentine's Day is a Celebration of Love, But the question comes to mind: What exactly is LOVE?

Last night, the church hosted a Celebration of Love Banquet for our Youth and Senior Adults.  I had the distinct honor to interview three couples which will celebrate their 50 Wedding Anniversary in 2013.  As the conversation went on, some interesting descriptors of love were given.  Some you may or may not have ever thought of until now.

1. Love is a choice.  Every day of life each one of us has a choice to make, which is to love or not to love.  The Word of God commands us to Love One Another, but it does not necessarily mean we have to like them.  Let me explain...  We must love the individual person, but we may not necessarily mean we like or agree with his/hers action.
2. Love is a commitment.  When you choose to Love, you commit yourself to it.  People are people, and none of us are perfect.  Therefore, we must commit to love inspite of our imperfections or shortcomings.  Remember, before the foundations of the earth God had a plan to redeem mankind, he committed to love us even though He knew time and time again we would turn our backs on Him.
3. Love is work.  Life has a way of throwing us curve balls that may make the path rough for a while, but it does not mean to keeping up.  The philsophy in the world today is when the waters become rough run or escape because the grass is greener on the otherside.  However, as a friend shared with me recently, the grass on the otherside still has to be cut just as the grass before.  Anything worth keeping is worth fighting to keep. 
4. True Love Is Unconditional... Greater love hath no man than for him to lay his life down for his friend. (John 15:13) Unconditional love is giving everything you are for the well-being of another.  ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)