Love is the greatest gift of all times. Love is our greatest need. If our need for love is met, we feel valued in the depths of our being. Our lack of love can cause deep wounding in our heart. Heart wounds can lead to addictions or other self-destructive patterns.

Our need for love drives us to seek love. There are four types of love: affection, friendship, passion and selfless love.

4 Types of Love

The 4 Types of love: affection, friendship, passion and selfless love, or sometimes known by the four Greek words for love: storge, philia, eros, and agape, show us the various forms love manifest in our relationships:
1) Affection (Storge) known as family love – whether between natural family members or spiritual family members – it is marked by deep affection
2) Friendship (Philia) based on an emotional bond – a strong bond existing between people who share common values, interests or activities or a compassion, care and respect for those in need
3) Passion (Eros) a passion or intensity of feeling – often based on the ‘high’ of the pursuit and not the person or object being pursued
4) Selfless Love (Agape) is unconditional [SG]

What Love Is and Is Not

In 1 Corinthians 13, we find what love is and what love is not.

Love Is…

Patient

Kind

Rejoices with the Truth

Keeps every confidence

Believes all things

Hopes all things

Endures all things

Love never fails

Love is greater than faith and hope

 Love Is Not…

Jealous

Does not Brag

Does not act disgracefully

Does not seek its own benefit

Provoked

Does not keep account of a wrong suffered

Does not rejoice in unrighteousness

George Washington Carver’s Eight Cardinal Virtues

George Washington Carver’s eight cardinal virtues are an expression of love towards other people. George Washington Carter stated that ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. He encouraged everyone to “rise to the full height of their possibilities by possessing these eight cardinal virtues which constituted a lady or a gentleman:

• Be clean both inside and outside
• Who neither look up to the rich nor down on the poor
• Who loses, if need be, without squealing
• Who wins without bragging
• Who is always considerate of women, children and old people
• Who is too brave to lie
• Who is too generous to cheat
• Who takes his share of the world and lets other people take theirs” [nps.gov]

Love Defined

Webster’s defines love as “benevolence, good will, and an affection of mind excited by beauty and worth of any kind, or by the qualities of an object which communicate pleasure, sensual or intellectual. Love is excited by pleasing qualities of any kind, as by kindness, benevolence, charity, and by the qualities which render social interaction agreeable. The Love of God springs from just views of His attributes or excellencies of character, which afford the highest delight to the sanctified heart.”

1 Corinthians 13 Expanded

 “Love suffers long.”
Bearing with a person’s worst behavior, without retaliation, regardless of the circumstances.

“Love is kind.”
Diligently seeking ways to be actively useful in another person’s life.

“Love rejoices in the truth.”
Finding great joy when truth prevails in another person’s life.

“Love bears all things.”
Being publicly silent about another person’s faults.

“Love believes all things.”
Expressing unshakeable confidence and trust in others.

“Love hopes all things.”
Confidently expecting future victory in another person’s life, regardless of the present imperfections.

“Love endures all things.”
Outlasting every assault of Satan to break up relationships.

“Love does not envy.”
Delighting in the esteem and honor given to someone else.

“Love does not parade itself.”
Not drawing attention to oneself exclusive of others.

“Love is not puffed up.”
Knowing one is not more important than others.

“Love does not behave rudely.”
Not engaging any person in ungodly activity.

“Love does not seek its own.”
Being others-oriented.

“Love is not provoked.”
Not resorting to anger as a solution to difficulties between myself and others.

“Love thinks no evil.”
Never keeping an account due on others.

“Love does not rejoice in iniquity.”
Never delighting in another person’s unrighteous behavior, nor will I join its expression.
[MacArthur 1598]

God is Love

Our need for love drives us to seek love. We can find a certain depth of love in people or animals, but the essence or substance of love originates with God.

“The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]” ~1 John 4:8 AMP

God speaks of a generous, yet sacrificial love given to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” ~John 15:13 NASB

God was intentional in His love for us and gave us the greatest gift of all. God gave His Son so that we might experience the depth of His love for all eternity. If you would like to find God for yourself, but are unsure how: How to Find God – Strength with Dignity

Recommendations:

Love – One of 9 Fruits of the Spirit – Strength with Dignity

4 Types of Love – Strength with Dignity

Life and Godliness: Love – Strength with Dignity

References:

Amplified Bible, Classis Edition (AMPC) Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.

Discovering George Washington Carver – A Man of Character. Published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri. The Eight Cardinal Virtues were found at: nps.gov/gwca on page 24. Retrieved on March 31, 2021 from https://www.nps.gov/gwca/learn/education/upload/Charactor%20Education%20Book%20Grade%202-3.pdf  Retrieved from Life and Godliness: Love – Strength with Dignity on November 9, 2022.

MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Bible Commentary. Published by Thomas Nelson, 2005, page 1598.

New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Study Guide: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis. [SG] Kindle edition, SuperSummary, 2018.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from http://webstersdictionary1828.com/

What Does It Mean that God is Love? Video Published by Got Questions Ministries. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from What does it mean that God is love? | GotQuestions.org – YouTube

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