Love is a choice.

This morning during my Treasure Time I decided to do a word study. I started at obedience and ended up at love. I looked up the word love in the Webster's Dictionary. Here is the definition:

Love: (noun) strong affection; warm attachment.

This is the definition that I believe the world has adopted. I believe most people think, like Webster's that love is a feeling. We all know feelings come and go. I believe the Bible's definition is the true one.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says that love IS (verb) patient and kind. It says that love is SOMETHING (noun) that never fails. It lists all the good things that love does and all the evil things love doesn't do.

These verses tell us that love does not envy or boast. Love is not rude, self-seeking or easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love ALWAYS protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. Love NEVER fails.

Love is an active, willful choice (verb). God is also Love (noun).

If we are His then He lives on the inside of us. We can choose to be led by our feelings. This is what comes naturally for us. We can also choose to allow God to love through us. This is super-natural. This requires dependency on Him. This demands obedience. We can NOT live out the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13 in our own strength. Yet through Him we can do all things.

No, love is not as much a feeling as it is a choice.

God is love.

When we choose to daily crucify our flesh, our sin-nature and allow God to love...to be love...to be who He is through us...then we are living out the true definition of love. When we practice being like God, by choosing to love, we will soon discover that super-naturally we will 'feel' more of His love. We will 'walk' in more of His love. We will do what comes natural less as He super-naturally lives His life of love through us.

Today, by the power of His Spirit within me, I choose to actively love. I choose to not obey the desires of my flesh, my sin-nature. I choose to not do what comes naturally but instead I choose to do what comes super-naturally.

His love never fails.

His love is what it will take to heal my life and the lives of all those connected to mine. His love is the only THING (noun) I can offer to my husband, children and the world that has any power, worth or eternal value.

Today I choose to love Him. Today I choose to love others, even if I don't 'feel' like it.

Thank you Jesus for being the perfect example of love while you were on the earth. Thank you for choosing to do your Father's will by laying down Your life so that we might live. I know that You cried out in anguish for Him to show you another way. I know you didn't 'feel' like going to the cross. Yet in the end you obeyed and chose to do His will because you love Him...because you love us.

Yes, You are the perfect example of Love lived out. You did not obey your feelings. You obeyed the One who is Love. And now we are the reward for your obedience. He has given us to You just as You asked. We too will be rewarded as we diligently seek You...seek to do Your will...seek to love the way You call us to...the way You do.

Lord, let our reward be more of You, therefore more of your Love. Let our reward be that we are used by You to love a lost and hurting world. Just as You asked Your Father for us, we also ask for the lives of those You love. Use us to draw people into this Love that is eternal and unending....this Love that never fails.

May we love so wildly and extravagantly that those who don't know You will want to...and those who do know you will be inspired to love You and others deeper.

May we know that Love is so much more than a feeling.

Love is not only what you do (verb) but it is also who you are (noun).