A quote on love. What is love and how to love quote? We all long to be loved. So what is love? Learn how to love and discover the difference between a parent’s love, friendship love, lover’s love and selfless love.

A quote that is selfless love – the kind of love described in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

Love quote:

“Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

There is much confusion today on the subject of love because there is a broad range of meanings of the word ‘love’. Does it mean the same when I say, “I love my husband, I love animals, I love flowers, I love my friend”? Obviously not!There are at least four different types of love.

So what is love? They are:

1. Love displayed in parenting

A parent’s nurturing love – Nurturing love is the affection a parent has for a child.

2. Love displayed in friendship

The love between friends – what is love

Friendship love is a love where two people benefit from each other in a mutual way.

3. Love displayed in the way we love our lovers

Our loved one’s love. Lover’s love is that head-over-heels feeling we get in a relationship.

4. Love that is displayed through selflessness

This type of love is totally selfless, for whether the love given is returned or not, the person continues to love.

Nurturing love, friendship love and romantic love comes naturally to us, but selfless love, loving when love is not returned, is unique to us. It is the kind of love that God has for us and gives us so that we can love others selflessly!

How to love

It was a rainy day when Gary and Christina were married, but it didn’t dampen their love for each other.  Two years on Christina was expecting a baby and they had purchased their first home. Life was good!  Then one day, Gary went from having an income and being able to pay his way, to being out of work; struggling to pay the home mortgage. Despite numerous job interviews, Gary was unable to obtain another job and became very depressed.

Gary turned to alcohol! Sometimes Christina tried talking to Gary about the problem. But every time the conversation came up he would storm off and get drunk.  With tears flowing down Christina’s cheeks, she shared with Gary’s parents the problem. They encouraged Gary to seek professional help.  Although Gary was seeing a professional councillor, he was furious with Christina for ‘turning him in’. He accused her of ruining his life and continually threatened to leave her.  But Christina didn’t react. She would say, “I love him. You’ll see, he’ll recover!”
When Gary got a job and conquered his drinking, he thanked her for loving him during the times he was unlovable.
Christina loved Gary with a selfless love – the kind of love described in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

If selfless love is unique to us, what made Christina so selfless? What enabled her to ‘hang–in–there’ and seek the welfare and betterment of Gary regardless of how she felt? Christina didn’t do it alone! She was drawing upon God’s love.

How do you put on God’s love?

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Jesus’ love enables you:

To accept situations without getting annoyed or reacting.
To be kind, always being concerned for the other person.
To honor others, always finding something good to say to them and about them.
To not be arrogant and demanding.
To respond positively.
To let go of wrongs and not take offence when given.
To choose to believe and think the best about people.

What a difference it would make in the world if only we were all able to love with Jesus’ love.

The question is, can we all experience that kind of love? The answer is ‘YES’. Jesus longs to clothe you with His love and presence!

Prayer: Gracious Father, thank You for loving me as much as You love Your own Son.
I want to love You more and become more loving and compassionate toward others, so they will see Your unconditional love expressed through me and be drawn to You.
Immerse me in the Your marvellous love, saturate my soul with Your presence and power so I’ll be deeply rooted in You.
I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen

Related links on God’s love: https://www.breakfreetoday.org/about-love-god/
Learn what can hold you back from receiving love: https://www.breakfreetoday.org/past-loss/