Love is a decision.

Have you heard that statement before? 

I can’t remember the first time I heard it, but it has always stuck with me. Maybe it was from a sermon or a normal conversation, but the thought never left me. 

God helped me understand the decisive nature of love by reading 1 Corinthians 13. The proof of that statement had been there all along, but I finally noticed it with new insight. 

The way love is described is not by what we feel. The chapter doesn’t say love will give you butterflies and make you feel warm inside. Instead, it’s described by actions, such as patience, kindness, being protective, truthful and persevering. 

You want to know what is described by emotions, the opposite of love (hate). When Paul contrasted the opposite of love he used feelings as descriptors, such as envy, pride and anger. 

To love is to decide. 

Jesus, out of love, decided to become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God, the ultimate form of love.

Decide to be like Christ, to delight in truth and to exemplify the greatest of these, which is love.

See you next week!