Apparently alot. This is just not a Tina Turner song. It is part of the foundation of biblical principles. In fact the bible tells us that God is Love. The bible also gives us the traits of love so we can recognize it when we see it. They are found in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 begining at verse 4. Before we take a look at verse 4, let’s first take a look at verses 1 – 3 for they explain how important love is.
13 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
1. If you can speak eloquently and in tongues.
2. If you have the gift of prophesy
3. If you understand all mysteries
4. If you have all knowledge
5. If you have all faith
6. If you can move mountains
7. If you are a philanthropist and give big to charities
8. If you endure many physical trials
If you have all of these, but yet you don’t have love then it will not benefit you at all. Or as my mother used to say "Not one iota." That’s how important love is. Yet many Christians major on these minor points and don’t strengthen their love walk.
So what is love?
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails;
I call this the love test. Everytime I take it, I fall short of all of it's elements. I will not be satisfied with meeting some of the points. Thank God he is not finished with me yet.
That’s a picture of the traits of Love. God was generous enough to define it for us. This walk is not about what you do, but it’s about who you be. The work is internal and not external. Where are you on the love scale? Where are your relationships?