Love

[cyberpi]

To help counter what often becomes the intellectual version of an everlasting orgasm, red roses with chocalates in a heart shaped package, with mother's milk and a candelight dinner with flowing smells and tastes, the warm snuggly blanket shared in front of a warm fire...

John 15:13 Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Oh dear... no greater Love... the wife shall be disappointed.

[Cage]

Actually, I think love transcends the intellect. Jesus spoke so much about the heart, and I personally view the heart and mind to be seperate from each other.That verse is one of my favorites, cyberpi. What greater love has any man then to lay down his life for his friends. That is such a powerful thing. Christ submitted to love like few are able, he showed compassion til the very end. "Forgive them father for they know not what they do." If Christ isn't the "perfect" example of what it means to love, then I don't know who is. He was/is a beautiful being, and an inspiration to those who have come to view him as such. He was love in the flesh and to have known, and seen him must have been a remarkable thing.

Luna, I Love your view about how love is 'fluid' and how it comes from God, or from his triune nature. This is such a true statement, as who can hold love back when understood, and embraced. It makes you want to shout it to the world, and lend it towards others. It took a very long time to wrap my mind around its power, and I'm still lacking, but I know how it can change a person in just a matter of months, and ever growing.

James

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by cyberpi

To help counter what often becomes the intellectual version of an everlasting orgasm, red roses with chocalates in a heart shaped package, with mother's milk and a candelight dinner with flowing smells and tastes, the warm snuggly blanket shared in front of a warm fire...

John 15:13 Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Oh dear... no greater Love... the wife shall be disappointed.

Very powerful cyberpi, yup that one has teeth for sure. Very glad you posted it. Being a God Is Love Christian is not for fluffybunnies. *please read in light-hearted but yes this points to a truth manner*

[Prober]

Originally Posted by cyberpi

John 15:13 Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Oh dear... no greater Love... the wife shall be disappointed.

Or will she?

Could you also say that "Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down (put aside) his life (wishes, goals or aspirations) for (in favor of) his friends (friend's)?

[earl]

Originally Posted by Cage

Actually, I think love transcends the intellect. Jesus spoke so much about the heart, and I personally view the heart and mind to be seperate from each other.That verse is one of my favorites, cyberpi. What greater love has any man then to lay down his life for his friends. That is such a powerful thing. Christ submitted to love like few are able, he showed compassion til the very end. "Forgive them father for they know not what they do." If Christ isn't the "perfect" example of what it means to love, then I don't know who is. He was/is a beautiful being, and an inspiration to those who have come to view him as such. He was love in the flesh and to have known, and seen him must have been a remarkable thing.

Luna, I Love your view about how love is 'fluid' and how it comes from God, or from his triune nature. This is such a true statement, as who can hold love back when understood, and embraced. It makes you want to shout it to the world, and lend it towards others. It took a very long time to wrap my mind around its power, and I'm still lacking, but I know how it can change a person in just a matter of months, and ever growing.

James

It is interesting what you've said re the "heart" & "mind" seeming to be somewhat separate issues. I'm now inclined to believe that. For years I've practiced (& still do) Buddhist meditation. In Buddhism they tend to speak of heart & mind as one thing, "heart-mind," & so their term "bodhicitta," meant awakened heart-mind. I still believe to be fully spiritually aware both are necessary but since I've become more seriously drawn to prayer of the heart, I find myself agreeing with Olga Louchakova, (Hridayam Yoga - Olga Louchakova), who in 1 of her more convoluted papers, (it's that 32 page one full of dense semi-indecipherable & sometime idiosyncratic language re prayer of the heart) on the subject at her website suggested that the experience of contemplative prayers of the heart is distinctly different than typical "mind-oriented" meditative approaches. The "heart" experience is indeed more body-centered, more intimate in a way, more "real." Words fail me so I'd better stop here & again say I think you're on to something. earl

[cyberpi]

Originally Posted by Prober

Or will she?

Could you also say that "Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down (put aside) his life (wishes, goals or aspirations) for (in favor of) his friends (friend's)?

I think the point is that having Love is in the giving or the sacrifice and not in the reception. So it is a greater Love giving outside the marriage rather than within it, for then it is giving without reception. Most everyone Loves those who Love them.

As I see it, service, marriage, or many other mutual relationships are really more about Faith rather than Love... but a polar circumstance or sin can result anywhere and have a need for unbiased Love: sacrifice, patience, forgiveness, etc...

[cyberpi]

Originally Posted by Cage

I think love transcends the intellect.

I think love transcends the heart. Real love requires the soul.

[Cage]

I agree^^


Real Love comes from the heart, soul & mind according to Jesus "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."


james

[Tariki]

lunamoth said somewhere on this thread that the "instigator of love is always God". I think this is true. I think that when we are self-conscious of "loving", of "having" love, then we can be far from true love. There seems to be infinite reasons why any human being should first seek to "love", and as many paths towards the realization of a love that is genuine. From my own experience, my own part in the deal is to see just how little - if any - love is associated with myself. Looking within all I see is spite and envy, self-righteousness, judgement, pride, conceit...................for starters! And the famous phrase...."If I have no love I am nothing" (and all the definitions that follow) can burn as well as inspire. Coming from the Buddhist side - which to a certain extent sees compassion/love as being a by-product of wisdom - another short phrase suggest itself........."If I am nothing, there is Love". Anyway, one of the beauties of Reality - of grace - seems to be that we, imperfect as we are, are never-the-less choosen to embody and express a love that can never be our "own".

At the moment I am caring for a partner who is recovering from an operation. All the time I have this consciousness of "doing good", yet the grace is that I AM doing good! The reality of the situation is held within the "arms" of Mercy.

[Ciel]

Originally Posted by Tariki

At the moment I am caring for a partner who is recovering from an operation. All the time I have this consciousness of "doing good", yet the grace is that I AM doing good! The reality of the situation is held within the "arms" of Mercy.

Tariki,

Best wishes for your partners full recovery.

love and peace - c -

[Star Sarellia]

What I really like about the scripture of 1 Corinthians 13, is it describes what "Love" actually is. (At least from the perception of the bible)

I think that Love is often confused with a variety of other emotions or feelings of goodness, security, wellbeing and general pleasure and here, love is seen as something to be received.. rather than something to be given.

I can only speak for myself of course when I say that this un-conditional love is very hard for a mere mortal such as myself to participate in. (Though I still try) I examine things I have done.. things I have perceived as actions of unconditional love.. and often realize that I haven't acted with true unconditional love at all. For example.. I may have given a fairly large sum of money to a friend.. who needed it.. but deep down I still hope to be rewarded, even if it is only in their continued friendship.

These passages are beautiful to me because they show in pure simplicity that God loves me.., regardless of how I may fail.. which is something that continues to confound me every day.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1Cor. 13:6-7

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by Star Sarellia

What I really like about the scripture of 1 Corinthians 13, is it describes what "Love" actually is. (At least from the perception of the bible)

I think that Love is often confused with a variety of other emotions or feelings of goodness, security, wellbeing and general pleasure and here, love is seen as something to be received.. rather than something to be given.

I can only speak for myself of course when I say that this un-conditional love is very hard for a mere mortal such as myself to participate in. (Though I still try) I examine things I have done.. things I have perceived as actions of unconditional love.. and often realize that I haven't acted with true unconditional love at all. For example.. I may have given a fairly large sum of money to a friend.. who needed it.. but deep down I still hope to be rewarded, even if it is only in their continued friendship.

These passages are beautiful to me because they show in pure simplicity that God loves me.., regardless of how I may fail.. which is something that continues to confound me every day.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1Cor. 13:6-7

Very well said Star; love goes out and we are called to unconditional love of each other. Where we fall short, grace covers the gap.

Here is another prayer about love:

A prayer by Saint Francis :


Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . .hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . .joy
Divine Master,
grant that i may not so much seek
To be consoled . . .as to console
To be understood . . .as to understand,
To be loved . . . as to love
For it is in giving . . .that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying . . .that we are born to eternal life


I like to add, grant that I may not so much seek to be heard...as to listen.

peace,
luna

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by Tariki

And the famous phrase...."If I have no love I am nothing" (and all the definitions that follow) can burn as well as inspire. Coming from the Buddhist side - which to a certain extent sees compassion/love as being a by-product of wisdom - another short phrase suggest itself........."If I am nothing, there is Love". Anyway, one of the beauties of Reality - of grace - seems to be that we, imperfect as we are, are never-the-less choosen to embody and express a love that can never be our "own".

An interesting spin on that meditation Tariki; thank you.

At the moment I am caring for a partner who is recovering from an operation. All the time I have this consciousness of "doing good", yet the grace is that I AM doing good! The reality of the situation is held within the "arms" of Mercy.

You and your partner are in my prayers for peace, strength and healing. You are certainly in the arms of Mercy.

luna

[Tariki]

To luna and Ciel,

Thanks for your well wishes. Fortunately the operation was nothing life threatening at all, but just involves restricted mobility for a few weeks. Close family, friends and neighbours are all taking the opportunity to visit and lend a helping hand.

Anyway, thanks again.

Derek

[wil]

2nd Peter 1:5-9

Peter in instructing Christians that are perseucuted and enslaved...does not tell those so constrained to hate, condemn or be judgemental...does not tell them to worry about others...but to work on themselves...and how to get from faith to love... and at the end of 1 Peter ...interestingly, 5:12With the help of Silas,whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

KJV
5And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.



NIV
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Message

5-9So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.