WHAT LOVE IS NOT.

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*WHAT LOVE IS NOT.*

*Scripture Treasure.*

1 John 4:8 *He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

We win in love, we lose in love. This is because love bears all things, whether in good times or bad.

*Scripture Commentaries.*

This season marks love in the air. Yesterday was Valentine. Another name for a sweetheart. A day marked every year to honor love and affection. God is romantic, and love must be seen and romanced in God's way (ref Songs of Solomon).

In 2 Sam 1: 1-27, David teaches us that in love we win together and in love we lose together. In the same way, according to Paul in 1 Cor 13:7. True love copes and bears with all situations.

David said in 2 Sam 1:21 that Saul had been slain *.....as though he had not been anointed with oil.*

Saul was anointed as David was. They were both anointed King with the same oil of God by Samuel and both swam in the oil of royalty. He lamented over Saul's death as a precedence to other anointed. The fall of one is a big blow to others.

What love is not may be further explained as follows.

First, as David teaches us through his lamentation over Saul, we see that

love is not selfish. It is not self seeking. It does not seek her own. It does not rejoice in other people's calamity. In love, we win together, and we lose together.

Second, love is not in a hurry. It is patient. It does not pressurize. Besides Paul's definition of what love is in 1 Cor 13:4-7, not standing with each other is one of the gruesome descriptions of what love is not (ref Psa 133:1)

It is a violation of God's love when we follow a society or people who propagate what love is not over what love is.

God has not given up on the entire human race in spite of their wickedness. This is what love is.

To willingly afflict, abuse your bodies and others is unjust and unfair

Not standing by each other in thiick and thin or not standing united, both in victory and defeat, is the definition of what love is not!

Fair weather friendship is what love is not. You are a poor advocate of God's love if you abandon your companion in the time you are most needed.

Third, it is hypocritical to claim that love unites while we engage in activities that threaten it.

Conditional love threatens unconditional love.

Our love has been more of conditional than unconditional. This is not surprising.

It is not surprising that we love those who love us but hate those who hate us.

Love is intended by God as love that loves the whole world, John 3:16. Here, John tells us that because of our sins, we became unlovable, but God so loved the world.

It is love that love sinners but hate their sins, Heb 1:9.

However, our rebellion to God's love made God say in Prov 8:17 *I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.*

This is because God knows there are people who love Him, and there are those who hate Him (ref Psalm 14:1).

Jesus says in John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

The conditional love of God here was never intended by God. He loved the world, but our wrong choices made His love conditional.

Thus, God, after declaring He loved the world, He says in John 3:18 *He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.*

Our wrong choices have made God attach a condition to receiving from Him, yet He does not forget His unconditional love (ref Matt 5:45)

We have, however, retained just the conditional love instead of the unconditional. This has given love a wrong definition.

Wrong choice should open our eyes to know what love is not. It has made what love is not popular than what love is.

Fourth, love is more than emotions and affection. It is a relationship. Relationships afford you a grassroot protection of establishing connection and affinity.

It is very good to begin by knowing

and getting to know and love people over time. A time to connect is a time to know and correct one another.

You can not correct someone you are not connected with.

We must know that love is not sex. In other words, having premarital sex with someone does not guarantee the relationship.

Our wrong choices have meant that marriage does not cure adultery whereas it is intended by God that it does, Heb 13:1

It is a violation of God's love (Agape), and it is hypocrisy to claim that he that love is of God while we engage in behaviors that violate agape.

Targeting a partner's shortcoming and directing a pointed finger at one person in a marital relationship is unjust. The two must see the shortcoming of one as the shortcoming of both, Eccl 4:9-12.

Fifth, money should not define love, and neither should love define money, 1 Tim 6.

Money has 'promoted' what love is not than what love is.

Some partners can not relate with their spouses on money.

If your love for money outweighs your other affections, you are not likely to have trust in that relationship.

There are partners who give it all in a relationship but lack the monetary support or advantage, which has collapsed the relationship

Remember, it is hypocritical to claim that love unites while we engage in activities that threaten it.

Love is not just loving when all is well but loving when all is not well.

*Remorse corner.

We love to stand. When we love, we stand, and we stand when we love. We win in love, and we lose out of love. Love keeps us standing and going when we love.

*Call to Word action.*

1 Cor 13:7 *Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.*

*The Christian clarion duty.*

Only love can drive out darkness. Hate can not.

*Prayer.*

Lord, help me love *.....without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.* (Rom 12:9), in Jesus name.

Good morning all, and have a blessed day today.

God bless you.