Love Is A Beautiful Thing 6/4/2015

Good Morning,

I pray that your day is going to be a good one. I am looking forward to coming home from work tonight to some smoked salmon and fresh tomatoes for dinner. In the mean time my breakfast of oatmeal and dried apples washed down with a cup of Door County Blueberry Cobbler Coffee will be counted as my morning blessing. I am glad that we dried those apples last fall.

Love and hate are exact opposites. I relate it to a cool clear drink of water compared to drinking a big glass of what is found in a cesspool.

Let's look first at the definition of hate.

Hate 

v. hat•ed, hat•ing,
n. v.t.

1. to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest.

2. to be unwilling; dislike: I hate to accept it.

v.i.

3. to feel hatred.

n.

4. intense dislike; extreme aversion or hostility.

5. the object of extreme aversion or hostility.

 

hat′er, n.

syn: hate, abhor, detest imply feeling intense dislike or aversion toward something. hate the simple and general word, suggests passionate dislike and a feeling of enmity: to hate autocracy. abhor expresses a deep-rooted horror and a sense of repugnance or complete rejection: to abhor cruelty. detest implies intense, even vehement, dislike and antipathy, besides a sense of disdain: to detest a combination of ignorance and arrogance.

 

Now let's look at the definition of love from the secular dictionary.

 

love

ləv/

noun

noun: love; plural noun: loves

1. 1.

   an intense feeling of deep affection.

   "babies fill parents with intense feelings of love"

   
   

   synonyms:

   deep affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, intimacy, attachment, endearment; More devotion, adoration, doting, idolization, worship; passion, ardor, desire, lust, yearning, infatuation "his friendship with Helen grew into love"      care, caring, regard, solicitude, concern, friendliness, friendship, kindness, charity, goodwill, sympathy, kindliness, altruism, unselfishness, philanthropy, benevolence, fellow feeling, humanity "their love for their fellow human beings" relationship, love affair, romance, liaison, affair of the heart, amour "their love will survive"

   antonyms:

   hatred

   • a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone.

     "it was love at first sight"

     
     

     synonyms:

     become infatuated with, give/lose one's heart to; More informalfall for, be bowled over by, be swept off one's feet by, develop a crush on "she didn't mean to fall in love with him" infatuated with, besotted with, enamored of, smitten with, consumed with desire for; captivated by, bewitched by, enthralled by, entranced by, moonstruck by; devoted to, doting on; informalmad/crazy/nuts/wild about "he's in love with Gillian"

   • a personified figure of love, often represented as Cupid.

     noun: Love
   • a great interest and pleasure in something.

     "his love for football"

     
     

     synonyms:

     liking of/for, enjoyment of, appreciation of/for, taste for, delight for/in, relish of, passion for, zeal for, appetite for, zest for, enthusiasm for, keenness for, fondness for, soft spot for, weakness for, bent for, proclivity for, inclination for, disposition for, partiality for, predilection for, penchant for "her love for fashion"

   • affectionate greetings conveyed to someone on one's behalf.

     synonyms:

     best wishes, regards, good wishes, greetings, kind/kindest regards "my mother sends her love"

   • a formula for ending an affectionate letter.

     "take care, lots of love, Judy"

     
     
2. 2.

   a person or thing that one loves.

   "she was the love of his life"

   
   

   synonyms:

   beloved, loved one, love of one's life, dear, dearest, dear one, darling, sweetheart, sweet, angel, honey;

Now let's look at the Biblical definition of love.
The primary meaning of the word "love" in Scripture is a "purposeful commitment to sacrificial action for another." In the Bible it is a fact that loving God is equated with obeying His Word. The two are inseparable.

Powerful emotions may accompany love, but it is the commitment of the will that holds true biblical love steadfast and unchanging. Emotions may change, but a commitment to love in a biblical manner endures and is the hallmark of a disciple of Christ. Sadly, the opposite is also true.   Emotions will vary, but a commitment which has its basis in biblical love will not be affected by the whelm of emotion or of one's circumstances.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7New International Version (NIV)
⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

It's a no brainer for me. I choose Biblical love!

Have a great day.

Marty