"Let all that you do be done in love."

1 Corinthians 16:14 

Civilization has attempted to define love down through the ages. The Greeks used a variety of words to portray the many different aspects of love. In English, the definition of love is often limited to descriptions of physical affection or in-tense attraction for another person.

The dictionary describes love as having to do with emotion. But as Christians, we know that most of those things are nothing more than biochemical reactions, like the appetites that cause us to desire food or comfort. As Christians we know that love is infinitely more than just a product of our desires.

It’s more than butterflies in our stomach when we have a crush, or hugging a friend that we are happy to see. Christian love is not a feeling we may or may not happen to have. Love is what we choose to do when our feelings tell us to do the exact opposite. Love is intentional, it’s a deliberate decision. Godly love is a practice that requires discipline.

The truth is that love has very little to do with how we are feeling on the inside. Love is simply a decision we make about how to think, speak, and behave.

Deciding to walk in love is not much different than deciding to get underneath an umbrella when it begins to rain. If I see it cloud over, I’ll be mindful of my umbrella, and if it starts to sprinkle, I might get it out and open it. As soon as it really begins to pour, I’m all the way under it.

When I see a relational situation begin to grow a little over-cast, I’ll take hold of my love and when things get stormy, I’ll crawl right under God’s covering of mercy. It protects me from getting soaked by offenses.

When I choose to hang out under God’s love, I am required to change some things I might otherwise say or do. If I crawl under the umbrella of love, meaning that I make a decision to love you no matter what you do or say to me, then I am in a place where I can operate in the God-kind of love. I simply have to choose to get under that umbrella.