Agape Love Essay -- essays research papers fc

What is love? I remember a time when â€Å"I love you† was the hardest phrase to say to the person you really had feelings for because you knew when you said those words it would change the course of your relationship forever. But what is the true meaning of love? â€Å"The dictionary defines love as a feeling of strong personal attach-ment induced by sympathetic understanding or by ties of kindred; ardent affection for one’s children; man’s adoration for God; strong liking; fondness; good will, al love of learning; love of country.† (Bell, pg. 10) According to Bell all of these definitions convey the outward appearance of love. He says that when looking at love that we need to take an inventory of our feeling to find out if we are truly displaying the type of love that God calls agape love. Bell says we need to ask ourselves the following questions: Do I return love? In any relationship love is a two way street. A marriage or relationship will not last v ery long if only one person is showing love and the other is not responding in kind. As a matter of fact, a spiritual relationship works in pretty much the same way. The bible says that God first loved us, but if we do not return that love to Him the relationship may diminish. As a Christian we must first love the unsaved person just enough to go to them and share the good news of the gospel. Then after that person has received the gospel of Jesus it is then up to them to accept it and return the love by giving their life to Christ. â€Å"Ministry is the first stage of this exchange of love.† (Bell, Pg 11) The second question is: Do I try to force love? Since the beginning of time God has always given man a choice or free will. We have a free will to love Him. A free will to obey Him. And a free choice to do His will. As a matter of fact God does not even force His love upon us. Anytime love has to be forced you may as well just call it rape. Even in personal relationships love cannot be forced. If love is forced, it usually results in the person rejecting the love altogether. Christian love does not demand love in return, but it does open the pathway to receive love if love wants to be given. The next question is one that is very personal to me because it is something that I have to work on improving and that is: Do I express love regularly? Sometimes it is easy to take the people you love for granted. We sometimes assu... ... of justice and kindness and devotion; pray and fast without fainting, and spend all of our time in some form of religious worship; if the things that we do were such to get us a name throughout the world, and make us famous to all future generations, it would all be in vain without sincere love to God in the heart. Furthermore, we understand that it is not the external work done, or the suffering endured, that is worth anything but yet it is the extent of love that is displayed that means something in the sight of God. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bell, Donald A. In Christian Love. Convention Press Nashville, Tennessee (1968). Edwards, Jonathan. Charity and Its Fruits: Christian love as manifested in the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  heart and life. The Banner of Truth Trust London (1969). Evans, Anthony T. Returning to Your First Love: Putting God Back in First Place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Moody Press Chicago, Illinois (1995). Lea, Thomas D. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. Broadman &   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Holman (1996). Ellsworth, Roy Mail Call: Prisoners Need Love Too. The Ellsworth Letters Christian   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Endeavors (2000).