Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 15:34:22 -0400 From: MacKenzie Strickland To: Sunday Snippets Subject: SS#59: Love Is MIME-Version: 1.0 S U N D A Y S N I P P E T S (tm) # 5 9 25 Feb '96 Characteristics of Real Love True love will have the characteristics listed in 1 Corinthians 13, paraphrased here. Love is slow to lose patience. It doesn't demonstrate irritations or reflect anger or have a quick temper. It has fully accepted the character of the one loved. Love looks for a way to be constructive. Love is actively creative. It is able to recognize needs. It discovers successful methods of improving or contributing to the other's life. Love is not possessive. Love does not hold exclusive control where one is allowed little or no freedom to fulfill himself apart from the one who loves him. Love is not anxious to impress. Love doesn't seek to make an impression or to create an image for personal gain. Love does not cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. It is not self-centered. It has the ability to change and to accept change. It is flexible. It doesn't allow, or expect, life to revolved around itself. Love has good manners. It has respect for others which results in a set of Christ-centered standards. It has discretion. It knows what is proper and when. Love does not pursue selfish advantage. It does not have primary concern for personal appetites or for social status; but it shows concern for needs of the one loved and families and friends involved. Love is not touchy. Love is not hyper-sensitive or easily hurt. It does not take things personally. It is not emotionally involved with personal opinions so that to reject ideas is to reject the one giving them. Love does not keep account of evil. Love doesn't review wrongs which have been forgiven. It does not dwell on past sins. It destroys evidence of past mistakes wherever possible. Love doesn't gloat over the wickedness of other people. Love doesn't compare self with others for self-justification. It doesn't use others' sin to excuse personal weaknesses. Love is glad with all godly men when truth prevails. Love is in active fellowship with dedicated Christians. It is occupied with spiritual objectives. Love knows no limit to its forbearance. Love has the ability to live with the inconsistencies of others. It has empathy for the problems of others. There is no end to Love's trust. Love believes in the person loved and in the person's worth without question. It has no reason to doubt the person's integrity. There is no fading of Love's confidence. Love is not fickle. [In the context of marriage] it has perfect peace and confidence that God is primarily responsible for introducing the right partner at the right time. Love has unlimited endurance. Love is able to outlast anything. It is able to endure all obstacles and even love in the face of unreturned love. - Author Unknown --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Sunday Snippets" is the trademark of G. MacKenzie Strickland. May be freely redistributed - Please forward to a friend. Sunday Snippets are archived on my homepage: http://www.ccn.cs.dal.ca/~ab531/Profile.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- He that seeketh anything else but simply God and the salvation of his soul, will find nothing but trouble and sorrow. - Thomas A Kempis --------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/sunday.snippets: snip96-059.txt .