Agape

1 If I speak in the tongues and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can phantom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, 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.

8 Love never fails.

It is so easy to read and not be touched. But do we understand the rhema? So often, human love comes with strings attached. Consciously or unconsciously. So is that still considered as love? But as verses 1-3, how do we change so that our love is like of our Father’s? An unconditional love that speaks louder than words and touches the heart?

Do we wear masks that conceal the true person beneath because we are afraid that the love we give will not be reciprocated? I don’t know… But is it worth it? Is it worth a try even if it means not being acknowledged or returned? It is a risk, if to be ‘calculating’, but didn’t Christ take that ‘risk’? To love and yet know that we may never love Him in return? Yet He still died for us didn’t He? What would Jesus do? I suppose wherever He was, He always gave love. He lived love, because He is love.

Often I am afraid if I don’t love enough. If when the sun sets, all my walk is just a selfish lie of things left unsaid and changes merely for a reflection of myself. But I have learnt that love is what ties us together. It is why we are here for. The love for God and His people, the love to bring out the best in another and the love to see each individual succeed, happy and at peace. The unexpressed joy of giving love to another, be it in words or actions, and to fly away without leaving a trace. A love so unfathomable and so wholesome that a trickle is sweet like water to thirst. His unconditional love is the buoy that keeps me afloat.

“Agape. A love that transcends eros, the physical shrinks to insignificance. It soars beyond phileo, for it is complete, not reciprocal. If your love dies, mine will remain constant. I can agape you whether you return my affection or not, even if you don’t realize I exist.” – If Christ Were Your Counselor

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13