Love is both a matter of choice and a strong feeling. While feelings can change over time, love is more stable. Even if you don't feel the same way you felt about someone at the beginning of a relationship, you can choose to stay with them even in the more difficult or boring times.
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). “Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant. . . . It is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:4–6).
God wants us to love like he does, as attested by The Catechism of the Catholic Church: “God who created man out of love also calls him to love – the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being.” But despite this, he still gives us a choice, because one of the necessary qualities of love is that it is free.
In chapter 13 of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul gives a list of various spiritual gifts that are useless if not conducted in love. He wants to impress upon the Corinthians that ministry will not produce fruit if not conducted in love.
Love is not a feeling (though we certainly do feel love), it's an intimate emotional bond that strengthens over time through a series of vulnerable and supportive actions. We take actions that build love. We take actions that strengthen love. And over time, the intimate emotional bond that is love will happen.
Answer: Yes. We call it “falling in love,” as if we have no control over how we topple into that dreamy state of emotional bliss. But those sweetly warm feelings we connect to our heart are actually chemicals and hormones flooding an organ higher up – our brain.
1. Romantic love is a gift from God and should be welcomed as such. In the beginning, before the fall, God observed that people should not be alone and so found it suitable for a man and woman to know each other in an intimate, exclusive, and sexual way (Gen. 2:18; Matthew 19:4-6).
You see, God's love (also called charity) is a pure gift from him to be received and shared. The spiritual gift of love is the only type of love that fulfills the deepest longings of our hearts. Like all gifts, it must first be received and cherished, and then it allows us to love ourselves and others as God does.
In Corinthians 13:4-7, Paul reminds us that God's greatest gift to us is love. To know God is the only way to know what real love is. “He showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy”.
American author Jodi Picoult wrote in her book The Book of Two Ways: “Love isn't just a feeling… It's a choice.” This is a quote that has stuck with me throughout the years.
Love is a key attribute of God in Christianity. 1 John 4:8 and 16 state that "God is love; and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." John 3:16 states: "God so loved the world..." In the New Testament, God's love for humanity or the world is expressed in Greek as agape (ἀγάπη).
Throughout history marriage has been about choice, not feelings. It is interesting that even today; the majority of marriages occurring in the world today are “arranged” marriages. Parents choose their child's future mate and the children learn to love their spouse.
God gives us the free choice and free will to live our lives the way we desire. That gift of freedom is the greatest gift that he can give. God wants us to choose, because we love him and want to obey him, to make our decisions within the overall blueprint of his will.
Love is a set of emotions and behaviors characterized by intimacy, passion, and commitment. It involves care, closeness, protectiveness, attraction, affection, and trust.
This is what we see in 1 Corinthians 13. Paul tells us that love isn't merely a feeling but a way of relating to others.
Jon: So God gave the ultimate gift to humanity, Jesus Christ. And Jesus taught often on giving and generosity, saying things like, "It's more blessed to give than to receive."
Why is love the greatest of all? Because it has the power to transform lives, heal mental and physical challenges, satisfy the soul, direct our goals, comfort the mourning, beautify the world, soften the hardened heart…. There's no end to what Love can do because “God is love” (1 John 4:8 KJV).
So, instead of abandoning us or retaliating against us, he offers us a gift, the best gift that has ever been given: his Son, crucified and raised to life again. And he promises he will reign over us in an eternal kingdom that is far better than any of us could ever ask for or imagine.
The Gift of Love is a 1958 American CinemaScope drama romance film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack.
These signs may include the sun rising every morning, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the kindness and goodness of people. Design a simple Litany of Thanks for all these signs of God's love.
According to experts, it's totally possible to fall back in love with someone you used to date, and the reason why makes sense. "Once you love someone, unless your respect for them is destroyed, you can always love them again," Susan Trombetti, matchmaker and CEO of Exclusive Matchmaking, tells Elite Daily.
When you're away from your partner, these hormones are produced in lesser quantities, so your body feels like it's going through a withdrawal, very similar to a drug withdrawal. Because of this, you might feel more lethargic and subdued, making you feel the physical symptoms of missing someone you love.
According to research published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, it takes 11 weeks to feel better after a relationship ends. But a separate study found it takes closer to 18 months to heal from the end of a marriage. In reality, heartbreak is a grieving process - and it looks completely different for everyone.