The Character of Love

Since we just finished our series on "Love Is"...It's kind of fitting that the first character we uncover is love.  We'll begin by studying the fruits of the spirit. In our love series, we learned that we not only need to know what love is...we need to be aware of what love is not.  Recognizing fake love is what helps us understand what real love is.

When I used to work at a bank,  they would have us study the real currency so we could recognize a counterfeit.  That is exactly how you can recognize when someone is not genuine in their love...by comparing it to the kind of love that is displayed by God (real love).  His love is a selfless love that loved you even when you didn't love Him.  Loving someone by building them up...and helping to meet their needs without expecting something in return from them... is what I'm talking about.  You will get something in return....because good things don't go unnoticed...but that is not your motivation for helping them.

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If you ask most people if they know what love is...most will say that they do!  But what they know is what's been seen in movies and television.  If this is what they base their definition of love on...it is going to be off!  Those couples on the "big screen" throw that word around so easily...they say "I'm in love with John"...I can't live without John, (etc).  What is actually being shown is a counterfeit love...what they are portraying is really lust.  We can fall into that trap of thinking that kind of love will last, when in all actuality  it may not even be love.

Love can be hard work...it means that you are being that person that loves others first...We basically need to display the Agape type of love as explained in this picture. 

I pray that I always display that kind of character...the Character of Love.

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