LOVE
Love, emotion explored in philosophy, religion, and
literature, often as either romantic love, the fraternal love of others, or the
love of God.
Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All
rights reserved.
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What is a love poem? Is it necessarily a poem about
romantic love? About romance? Marriage and commitment? Or is a love poem
something else entirely?
In a recent short story I wrote, a writer is told by a young critic that he
doesn't understand love. "It's neither noble nor eternal, as you would have your
audience believe," she says.
"Nobody understands love," the writer admits. "It seems to be Universal.
Timeless. Yet, it's also very individual, filtered by our own lives and
expectations. I don't understand love, and can't understand love, because it's a
different thing for each of us."
The English word "love" can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes that ranges from interpersonal affection ("I love my mother") to pleasure ("I loved that meal"). It can refer to an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment. It can also be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection—"the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another".It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self or animals.
Ancient Greeks identified four forms of love: kinship or familiarity (in Greek, storge), friendship (philia), sexual and/or romantic desire (eros), and self-emptying or divine love (agape). Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of romantic love. Non-Western traditions have also distinguished variants or symbioses of these states. This diversity of uses and meanings combined with the complexity of the feelings involved makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states.
Love in its various forms acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships and, owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.
Love may be understood as a function to keep human beings together against menaces and to facilitate the continuation of the species.
These love poems are Universal. Timeless. And yet very much a different thing for each of us. We hope you enjoy them...
Categories:
Love Poems - Yes, the romantic love poems. NEW poems were just added!
Love Quotes - Sometimes the most romantic thing you can do is use these romantic words ...
Romantic Ideas - Ideas and tips for spicing up the romance in your relationship!
Wedding Poetry - Beautiful wedding poems collection ...
Featured Love Poems
Free Love Poems - Mesmerizing love poems that are romantic and soul-warming.
Forever Love My Dear Love Sweet Dreams Of Love Star Of My Life
An Angel's Kiss What It Means To Love My Valentine True Love
Whispers Of The Night Sweet Love Three Words Silent Love
My Everything The Way I Love You Love Of My Life My Only Love
Serenity Joy Of My Heart Love Poem Love From The Heart
Love Fate Reasons You Are Beautiful Master Of Love My Darling
Angel From Above Like A Dream Call From Heaven Midnight Fantasy
You Are My Life Undying Love I Fell In Love Deepest Desire
Flame In My Heart In Quest Of Love Natural Love If You Need Me
You Are Perfect Love Is Beautiful Shy Love Love Will Live Forever
Also see: Top Ten Natural Wonders in the World
Take her breathe away with this stunning eternity band.
I love you not only for what you are
But for what I am when I am with you
I love you not only for what you have made of yourself
But for what you are making of me
I love you for the part of me
that you will bring out
I love you for passing over my foolish and weak traits
That you can't help but see
I love you for drawing out into the light my beauty
That no one else had loved quite far enough to find
Love is when two people touch each other's soul. Love is honesty and trust. Love is helping one another. Love is mutual respect. Love means that differences can be worked out. Love is reaching your dreams together. Love is the connection of two hearts, yours and mine.
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You
say: "It's
impossible."
God
says: All things
are possible. (Luke 18:27)
You
say: "I'm too
tired."
God
says: I will give
you rest. (Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody
really loves me."
God
says: I love you.
(John 3:16 & John 13:34)
You say: "I can't
go on."
God
says: My grace is
sufficient.
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm91:15)
You say: "I can't
figure things out."
God
says: I will direct
your steps. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: "I can't
do it."
God
says: You can do
all things. (Philippians 4:13)
You say: "I'm not
able."
God
says: I am able (II
Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "It's not
worth it."
God
says: It will be
worth it. (Roman 8:28)
You say: "I can't
forgive myself."
God
says: I FORGIVE YOU
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't
manage."
God
says: I will supply
all your needs. (Philippics 4:19)
You say: "I'm
afraid."
God
says: I have not
given you a spirit of fear.
(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm
always worried and frustrated."
God
says: Cast all your
cares on ME. (I Peter 5:7)
You say: "I don't
have enough faith."
God
says: I've given
everyone a measure of faith.
(Romans 12:3)
You say: "I'm not
smart enough."
God
says: I give you
wisdom. (I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel
all alone."
God
says: I will never
leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews13:5)
Part 2 of 5: Loving Like a Pro
Part 3 of 5: Surviving the Hardships
Part 4 of 5: Avoiding Pitfalls
Part 5 of 5: Creating Healthy Perceptions
Edited by Keith Taylor, Zack, Lucas Halbert, Versageek and 222 others
Love is expressed as an action and experienced as a feeling. Yet, love has an
essence that resists defining in any single way — it encompasses compassion,
determination, tolerance, endurance, support, faith, and much more. If you're in
the dark about how to love, this article should give you some food for thought,
and perhaps teach you a little bit about how to love yourself, love the world,
and love other people just a little bit more.
Steps
Part
1 of 5: Letting Love In
1
Accept your past. If you’ve been hurt in the past, you really need to begin to
cope with that feeling before you can love someone else. You may feel that
things you did in the past will make you unlovable, or that you have too many
problems to be lovable. Maybe you feel that because your past relationships
failed, all others are doomed to fail as well. But this is not the case and you
should never feel for a moment that what has happened to you before will keep
you from being happy now. Accept the things that happened to you, forgive, and
move on.
2
Get rid of the list. You know the list: that compendium of requirements that a
potential partner or friend must meet, kept in your head or even written down.
Yeah, get rid of that. Recognize that by keeping such a list, you’re creating
the person you want to be with, rather than meeting the person you’re meant to
be with. Real people don’t fit in boxes. You can certainly keep in mind
qualities that you want a person to have, but don’t require someone to meet all
of them and make sure you’ve got your priorities in order.[1]
3
Reconsider your priorities. If you’re putting a nice butt before a stable
personality, you’re going to have a really tough time in relationships. Same
goes for things like valuing friends who get you into the best clubs over
friends who’ll hold your hair back while you puke. Take those items from your
list (discussed above) and separate them out into wants vs needs. Then take a
hard look at why you prioritize the things you do.
4
Open yourself to new possibilities. Once you’ve given some hard thought to what
really matters to you in your relationships, take another look at the people
around you and the people that you meet every day. Maybe people you’d previously
dismissed will suddenly seem okay. You’ll find...potential. And that’s all you
need to start with. Potential may not feel like love at first sight, but it can
grow into the most beautiful and stable love you’ve experienced.
5
Love yourself. Before loving anyone else, you have to love yourself. This is
important on so many levels. It will show you how to experience love, it will
send a message to people you love that you are worth loving in return, and it
will make you a better lover because you will not be hindered by self-doubt and
confidence issues.
If you have problems loving yourself, then change yourself. Build your self
confidence by doing something wonderful and being a better person. Conquer all
of your bad habits that make you self-conscious. Just don’t expect to make
yourself into the perfect person, because perfect people do not exist.
6
Have something to offer others. When you go to start a relationship, be it
romantic or platonic, you’ll want to be sure that you bring something to that
relationship. Having nothing to offer will give you and probably the other
person the sense that you are a leech. Work on giving as much as you take, in
all your relationships, and you’ll be set for success.
7
Be vulnerable. Unfortunately, loving someone means that they can hurt you. This
is normal and okay (and almost inevitable). But if you want to have real love,
you need to allow yourself to open with that person. Don’t keep secrets from
them, don’t pretend to be someone you aren’t, but instead give them the
opportunity to know the real you.
8
Give it time. Don’t force love and don’t try to speed it up. This will only
create false feelings which drain you emotionally and leave you feeling empty
and unsatisfied. You can’t rush love. But believe that it will come because it
most certainly will. You just have to find the right person.
Part
2 of 5: Loving Like a Pro
1
Respect everyone. Respect everyone in your life. Respect your friends, your
family, and your lovers. Respecting someone is an incredibly important part of
loving them. You have to respect someone you love and if you don’t respect them
then you don’t really love them. Respect mostly comes down to realizing that
everyone is a worthwhile person, with valid opinions and experiences. Realize
that the other person has their own wishes and desires, and rights to privacy
and dignity. If you can’t think these things about another person, then you
can’t love them.
2
Take people for who they are. Everyone is different. This doesn’t make anyone
better or worse than anyone else. If you want to love someone, you need to take
them for everything that they are, good and bad. Realize that none of those
traits may be permanent and that if you want them to change, you have to help
them want that change for themselves. Give them the tools they need to make the
change. They aren’t yours to mold into your personal statue of perfection.
3
Focus on the positives. When you love someone, you should always keep focus on
their positive traits. Find the things that you love about them and then give
them the tools they need to amplify those traits. Focusing on nitpicky things
you dislike about them will only make both of you unhappy in the end.
If they’re a good singer, for example, help them to record a song and get it out
to people. If you love how tidy they are, try to help them out by taking some of
the pressure off and let them know how much you appreciate it when they do
clean.
4
Embrace the negatives. There are inevitably things that annoy or frustrate us
about the people we have relationships with. You need to learn to love someone
not despite these traits but, as much as possible, because of them. Try to
loosen up and find the humor in the things they do. This will stress you out
less and make your relationships much stronger and stable.
She may be loud and tend to say just about everything on her mind, but try to
look at those traits in a new light. Maybe she can be your Leslie Knope.
5
Communicate clearly and often. If you want real love to build and grow, you need
to keep constant communication. This doesn’t just mean talking about the weather
every day; you need to talk about real things that are affecting your lives and
your actions. Most importantly, you need to talk about the problems you
encounter with each other. Don’t just be the person starting the conversations
and handing out criticism, though. You need to create an environment where the
other person feels comfortable coming to you with their problems too.
6
Forgive when you’re wronged, forgive when you wrong. You need to release
negative feelings when they crop up in the relationship. Don’t hold on to
grudges or embarrassment, as this will only make your life worse. Instead, learn
to forgive and move on when the other person hurts you and forgive yourself when
you’ve made mistakes. All you need to do is take the lessons from those
experiences and make the relationship better.
7
Constantly make yourself and those you love better people. A good, loving
relationship is one where you constantly challenge each other to be better
people. Help the other person to achieve their dreams and goals because you
believe they deserve it. Improve yourself and work for your dreams so that you
can be the person you feel they deserve. We should be better people because of
the relationships that we have, and this is the way to do it.
8
Be a good friend. Whether you’re trying to create and grow love in a platonic or
romantic relationship, you need to be a good friend to the person you love. Love
is about more than kissing and hugging: it’s about being there when someone
needs you and helping them unselfishly. Work to be as good a friend to them as
you can be, and let them do the same.
Part 3 of 5: Surviving the Hardships
1
Talk through your problems. You will inevitably encounter problems in your
relationship. Maybe there was a breach of trust or someone was hurt by something
that got said. Whatever the reason for the hurt feelings, whether intentional or
not, you need to talk between the two of you and get everything sorted out. Come
to understand each other and patch the holes in the relationship before they
become too big.[2]
Make sure that everybody gets a turn to talk, don’t interrupt, and respect the
other person. Just because their opinion is different doesn’t make it wrong.
2
Eliminate jealousy. This is one of the unhealthiest things to have in a
relationship, as it can break down trust and respect, and create barriers. For
some people, this can be the most challenging part of relationships. Jealousy is
a tough thing to break, but you can do it. The most important thing to
understand is that jealousy issues almost always come from within, from the
jealous person’s own issues, so those need to be worked through first. This is a
place where those communication skills come in handy.
This is, of course, assuming one person in the relationship is running around
blatantly cheating on the other. In which case, they don’t really love the
person they’re hurting, now do they?
3
Try to see issues from all sides. We hate to be wrong. Everyone does. But the
thing about everyone thinking they’re right is that someone HAS to be wrong. If
we disagree on an issue, we’re bound to be wrong on at least part of the issue.
You’ll have much stronger relationships if you learn to talk things out with the
other person, see their point of view, and find somewhere in the middle where
you can meet and agree.
4
Count your blessings. When things get tough, money runs out or someone loses a
job, etc., the way to get through these tough times is to focus on the things in
your life that are good. Don’t worry about all the things you don’t have,
because you will always not have a lot of things. That’s out of your control.
But you can enjoy and find love in the things that you do have right now, while
you have them. Appreciate this moment.
5
Learn your lessons. Yes, bad things will happen in your relationships. You’ll
say the wrong thing, or they’ll hurt your feelings. It happens. The important
part, when anything goes wrong (even if it’s just problems in your life), is to
learn your lessons and just keep moving forward. Try to make the most of any
negative situation, turning it into something positive by gaining and growing
from the experience. [3]
6
Be partners in life. The whole point of going through life with people you love
is so that you can tackle life’s challenges together. Work together to find
solutions, solve problems, and comfort each other when times get tough. We can’t
solve everything on our own, we can’t know everything there is to know...but a
whole bunch of people getting together out of love can solve just about any
problem.
7
Learn when to stop being involved. Sometimes people you love will make bad
choices. Things will get tough and they will do things you won’t like. This can
be very challenging. Do you still want to love them? This is a good time to
understand that you can still love someone and separate yourself from what
they’re doing. You don’t have to agree with them: you just have to love them
even if they make their own life worse. Go hands-off and see if it improves your
relationship with each other.[4]
This is a tricky balance, however. Sometimes people can be abusive or make our
lives worse. Their negativity can drag us down. If this is the case, you may
need to cut them out of your life, no matter how much you love them. You just
have to realize that when they are like that, there’s nothing you can do to make
them better and your love no longer benefits them. At that point, you shouldn’t
waste your feelings on someone who you can’t help.
Part
4 of 5: Avoiding Pitfalls
1
Find their true beauty. Maybe your girlfriend looks like Jennifer Lawrence, but
this shouldn’t be the reason you want to be with her. She may be pretty now but
she probably won’t be 50 years from now. You won’t be either. When you love
someone, you need to find their inner beauty, the thing that makes them unique
and wonderful to you. This will make your love and relationship stronger.
Relying or basing your love on their great skin or gorgeous hair is probably
just going to end in disappointment for everyone.
2
Never, ever manipulate someone. Popular culture often tells us, subtly, that we
should manipulate our significant other. You’ll find magazine upon magazine
about how to get your girlfriend to do this or how to make your husband more
that. But the thing is that expecting someone to change, and emotionally or
mentally manipulating them into doing it, is one of the worst things you can do
for your relationship. By manipulating them, you are creating distrust and
resentment, a terrible thing to do to someone you love.
3
Don’t expect perfection. Don’t expect perfection in the person you love or in
yourself. This sets incredibly unrealistic expectations. Neither of you will be
able to live up to these standards and you both will end up hurt and
disappointed. Even if you feel that you only expect perfection for yourself,
this will give you the mindset that people can be perfect and you will
subconsciously expect the same from the person you’re with.
4
Be selfish sometimes. If you constantly give in your relationships and don’t
focus on your own needs every now and again, you will find that you become burnt
out. In order to make yourself a better lover, be selfish on occasion and make
sure you’re getting what you need to be happy too.
5
Never stop putting in effort. The person you love is always worth the effort, so
never stop putting in the effort. It’s easy when two people have been together
for awhile and you’ve become very trusting to just get very comfortable with
each other. Maybe you don’t go out on dates anymore or maybe you don’t dress up
nice for each other sometimes. But you should at least do these things
occasionally, or eventually someone will feel like they’re no longer worth the
effort.
6
Don’t bring outside problems into your relationships. Life gets stressful
sometimes. We have problems and they make us upset, hurt, or angry. There are
many, many people who take out these negative emotions on the people they love,
often because they feel like they have no other outlet. But you should never do
this. Find good ways to deal with your stress, like exercising or doing art.
This will keep you from unreasonable outbursts directed at the person you love.
7
Don’t let things stagnate. Much like not putting in effort, you shouldn’t get to
a point where your relationships are routine. Getting the same gift (or type of
gift) for every holiday and birthday, going to the same place for dinners out,
doing the same thing for your anniversary, etc….your love deserves better and so
do you! Keep things interesting by always trying new things and pursuing new
experiences together.
You can be wild and crazy and try things like rock climbing or you can be more
subdued and try learning a new skill together, like playing the piano.
8
Focus on the important things. One major pitfall of relationships is that we
tend to get super focused on little things that drive us crazy, rather than
seeing the bigger picture, which is often wonderful. Keep your focus on the
things that actually matter, and constantly analyze why those things matter to
you. You’ll have a much happier relationship if you do.
Part 5 of 5: Creating Healthy Perceptions
1
Remember that everyone is equal. It is important to understand, for developing
relationships, that no one is better than you and you are not better than anyone
else. We are all equal, with equally worthwhile problems, ideas, and beliefs. If
anyone ever tries to convince you differently, no matter where they pray and no
matter how much you admire them, they aren’t worthy of your love.
2
Understand that there is more than one person for you. Modern movies and stories
have us believing that we have to find the One, that one person who completes us
and is perfect for us. But the truth of the matter is that there is no One. No
one is perfect. In all relationships there will be sacrifice and annoyance and
problems. So really, as long as you aren’t expecting anyone to be perfect, there
are lots of The One’s out there for you!
3
Break out of pre-defined roles. Our culture does a pretty good job of convincing
us that women and women have to act a certain way or do certain things in a
relationship. However, this doesn’t really work out that way in practice. Some
men are just naturally good housekeepers and some women are just naturally good
at fixing things. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and those
don’t conform to gender stereotypes. If you want to have healthy relationships,
don’t feel constrained to those boxes: just do what you do best and work
together to build a happy life!
4
Know when to cut and run. Of course, all of this advice doesn’t apply all of the
time. Sometimes you will end up loving someone you really, really shouldn’t.
This is when it’s important to know when to leave them. If someone hurts you
physically, or abuses you emotionally, even if they say they don’t mean to or
you force them to be that way, you need to leave. Someone who truly loves you
would rather die than cause you that kind of pain. And you deserve better.
5
Rescue yourself. We grow up with these fairy tales that tell us that someday
someone will come along and by loving them our lives will be so much better. All
of our problems will just magically go away. Of course, that’s not really how
life works. A life partner will help you cope with the problems in your life and
will work with you to solve them, but no one is going to make those problems
just go away. You have to rescue yourself. Be your own knight-in-shining-armor.
Expecting someone else to do that for you will only result in putting way too
much pressure on them and disappointing yourself in the long run.[5]
6
Make your happily ever after. Like the myth of the knight in shining armor, you
also need to understand that there are no automatic happy endings. You may find
blissful love, but you’ll always come up against challenges together, as you and
your lives change. If you want to have your happy ending, you have to work to
make it happy every day by supporting each other, working together, and doing
the things in life that make you happy.
Tips
Remember there is no failure in love, because once you show somebody that you
love them, then you have already succeeded in love, even if they don't care.
People become beautiful to you because you love them. In a society obsessed with
appearance, it can often seem the other way around but the reality is that love
makes a person beautiful and the imperfect perfect.
There are many types of relationships that involve love, but love itself is a
common thread to all those relationships. For example: a mother-son relationship
is different from the relationship with a best friend, and both these
relationships are different from a romantic relationship. But in each of these
relationships, each person loves the other (wants the best for the other). Love
is the base of the pyramid. On top of the base, we can add other items such as
other common interests (in the case of friends) or sex (in the case of romantic
relationships). Therefore, relationships can grow and evolve but the love itself
is solid and constant. It does not change.
It does not make you a bad person to desire someone else's love, even if they do
not love you. However, to truly love someone, you must let them be free. It is
selfish to blame them for your feelings.
Warnings
Loving isn't always easy.
Never seek to force love. You can try but you'll find fear, neediness and
insecurity, not love. Love will come if you're willing to share love, to give of
it freely and to expect nothing in return.
The idea of romantic love is often fueled by fantasies and much of the romantic
love shown in movies and romance novels is unrealistic and causes real mortals
to feel inadequate. Be aware that creatively written or filmed romantic love is
a thing of art in its own––mere mortals are recommended to see that romantic
love has warts. The more expansively you view romantic love, the more accepting
you are that romantic love isn't always ideal and the more certain you are about
who you are and what matters to you in life, the more likely you'll be to find
happiness in romance. Leave those rose colored glasses slightly lifted at all
times!
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Religious views
Christianity
The Christian understanding is that love comes from God. The love of man and woman--eros in Greek—and the unselfish love of others (agape), are often contrasted as "ascending" and "descending" love, respectively, but are ultimately the same thing.
There are several Greek words for "love" that are regularly referred to in Christian circles.
- Agape: In the New Testament, agapē is charitable, selfless, altruistic, and unconditional. It is parental love, seen as creating goodness in the world; it is the way God is seen to love humanity, and it is seen as the kind of love that Christians aspire to have for one another.
- Phileo: Also used in the New Testament, phileo is a human response to something that is found to be delightful. Also known as "brotherly love."
- Two other words for love in the Greek language, eros (sexual love) and storge (child-to-parent love), were never used in the New Testament.
Christians believe that to Love God with all your heart, mind, and strength and Love your neighbor as yourself are the two most important things in life (the greatest commandment of the Jewish Torah, according to Jesus; cf. Gospel of Mark chapter 12, verses 28–34). Saint Augustine summarized this when he wrote "Love God, and do as thou wilt."
The Apostle Paul glorified love as the most important virtue of all. Describing love in the famous poem in 1 Corinthians, he wrote, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres." (1 Cor. 13:4–7, NIV)
The Apostle John wrote, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16–17, NIV) John also wrote, "Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7–8, NIV)
Saint Augustine says that one must be able to decipher the difference between love and lust. Lust, according to Saint Augustine, is an overindulgence, but to love and be loved is what he has sought for his entire life. He even says, “I was in love with love.” Finally, he does fall in love and is loved back, by God. Saint Augustine says the only one who can love you truly and fully is God, because love with a human only allows for flaws such as “jealousy, suspicion, fear, anger, and contention.” According to Saint Augustine, to love God is “to attain the peace which is yours.” (Saint Augustine's Confessions)
Christian theologians see God as the source of love, which is mirrored in humans and their own loving relationships. Influential Christian theologian C.S. Lewis wrote a book called The Four Loves. Benedict XVI wrote his first encyclical on "God is love". He said that a human being, created in the image of God, who is love, is able to practice love; to give himself to God and others (agape) and by receiving and experiencing God's love in contemplation (eros). This life of love, according to him, is the life of the saints such as Teresa of Calcutta and the Blessed Virgin Mary and is the direction Christians take when they believe that God loves them.
In Christianity the practical definition of love is best summarised by St. Thomas Aquinas, who defined love as "to will the good of another," or to desire for another to succeed. This is the explanation of the Christian need to love others, including their enemies. As Thomas Aquinas explains, Christian love is motivated by the need to see others succeed in life, to be good people.
Judaism
In Hebrew, Ahava is the most commonly used term for both interpersonal love and love between God and God's creations. Chesed, often translated as loving-kindness, is used to describe many forms of love between human beings.
The commandment to love other people is given in the Torah, which states, "Love your neighbor like yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). The Torah's commandment to love God "with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5) is taken by the Mishnah (a central text of the Jewish oral law) to refer to good deeds, willingness to sacrifice one's life rather than commit certain serious transgressions, willingness to sacrifice all of one's possessions, and being grateful to the Lord despite adversity (tractate Berachoth 9:5). Rabbinic literature differs as to how this love can be developed, e.g., by contemplating divine deeds or witnessing the marvels of nature. As for love between marital partners, this is deemed an essential ingredient to life: "See life with the wife you love" (Ecclesiastes 9:9). The biblical book Song of Solomon is considered a romantically phrased metaphor of love between God and his people, but in its plain reading, reads like a love song. The 20th-century Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler is frequently quoted as defining love from the Jewish point of view as "giving without expecting to take" (from his Michtav me-Eliyahu, Vol. 1).
Islam
Love encompasses the Islamic view of life as universal brotherhood that applies to all who hold faith. Amongst the 99 names of God (Allah), there is the name Al-Wadud, or "the Loving One," which is found in Surah [Quran 11:90] as well as Surah [Quran 85:14]. God is also referenced at the beginning of every chapter in the Qur'an as Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, or the "Most Compassionate" and the "Most Merciful", indicating that nobody is more loving, compassionate and benevolent than God. The Qur'an refers to God as being "full of loving kindness."
The Qur'an exhorts Muslim believers to treat all people, those who have not persecuted them, with birr or "deep kindness" as stated in Surah [Quran 6:8-9]. Birr is also used by the Qur'an in describing the love and kindness that children must show to their parents.
Ishq, or divine love, is the emphasis of Sufism in the Islamic tradition. Practitioners of Sufism believe that love is a projection of the essence of God to the universe. God desires to recognize beauty, and as if one looks at a mirror to see oneself, God "looks" at himself within the dynamics of nature. Since everything is a reflection of God, the school of Sufism practices to see the beauty inside the apparently ugly. Sufism is often referred to as the religion of love. God in Sufism is referred to in three main terms, which are the Lover, Loved, and Beloved, with the last of these terms being often seen in Sufi poetry. A common viewpoint of Sufism is that through love, humankind can get back to its inherent purity and grace. The saints of Sufism are infamous for being "drunk" due to their love of God; hence, the constant reference to wine in Sufi poetry and music.
Eastern religions
Buddhism
In Buddhism, Kāma is sensuous, sexual love. It is an obstacle on the path to enlightenment, since it is selfish. Karuṇā is compassion and mercy, which reduces the suffering of others. It is complementary to wisdom and is necessary for enlightenment. Adveṣa and mettā are benevolent love. This love is unconditional and requires considerable self-acceptance. This is quite different from ordinary love, which is usually about attachment and sex and which rarely occurs without self-interest. Instead, in Buddhism it refers to detachment and unselfish interest in others' welfare.
The Bodhisattva ideal in Mahayana Buddhism involves the complete renunciation of oneself in order to take on the burden of a suffering world. The strongest motivation one has in order to take the path of the Bodhisattva is the idea of salvation within unselfish, altruistic love for all sentient beings.
Hinduism
In Hinduism, kāma is pleasurable, sexual love, personified by the god Kamadeva. For many Hindu schools, it is the third end (Kama) in life. Kamadeva is often pictured holding a bow of sugar cane and an arrow of flowers; he may ride upon a great parrot. He is usually accompanied by his consort Rati and his companion Vasanta, lord of the spring season. Stone images of Kamadeva and Rati can be seen on the door of the Chennakeshava temple at Belur, in Karnataka, India. Maara is another name for kāma.
In contrast to kāma, prema – or prem – refers to elevated love. Karuna is compassion and mercy, which impels one to help reduce the suffering of others. Bhakti is a Sanskrit term, meaning "loving devotion to the supreme God." A person who practices bhakti is called a bhakta. Hindu writers, theologians, and philosophers have distinguished nine forms of bhakti, which can be found in the Bhagavata Purana and works by Tulsidas. The philosophical work Narada Bhakti Sutras, written by an unknown author (presumed to be Narada), distinguishes eleven forms of love.
In certain Vaishnava sects within Hinduism, attaining unaldulterated, unconditional and incessant love for Godhead is considered the foremost goal of life. Gaudiya Vaishnavas who worship Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the cause of all causes consider Love for Godhead (Prema) to act in two ways: sambhoga and vipralambha (union and separation)—two opposites .
In the condition of separation, there is an acute yearning for being with the beloved and in the condition of union there is supreme happiness and nectarean. Gaudiya Vaishnavas consider that Krishna-prema (Love for Godhead) is not fire but that it still burns away one's material desires. They consider that Kṛṣṇa-prema is not a weapon, but it still pierces the heart. It is not water, but it washes away everything—one's pride, religious rules, and one's shyness. Krishna-prema is considered to make one drown in the ocean of transcendental ecstasy and pleasure. The love of Radha, a cowherd girl, for Krishna is often cited as the supreme example of love for Godhead by Gaudiya Vaishnavas. Radha is considered to be the internal potency of Krishna, and is the supreme lover of Godhead. Her example of love is considered to be beyond the understanding of material realm as it surpasses any form of selfish love or lust that is visible in the material world. The reciprocal love between Radha (the supreme lover) and Krishna (God as the Supremely Loved) is the subject of many poetic compositions in India such as the Gita Govinda and Hari Bhakti Shuddhodhaya.
In the Bhakti tradition within Hinduism, it is believed that execution of devotional service to God leads to the development of Love for God (taiche bhakti-phale krsne prema upajaya), and as love for God increases in the heart, the more one becomes free from material contamination (krishna-prema asvada haile, bhava nasa paya). Being perfectly in love with God or Krishna makes one perfectly free from material contamination. and this is the ultimate way of salvation or liberation. In this tradition, salvation or liberation is considered inferior to love, and just an incidental by-product. Being absorbed in Love for God is considered to be the perfection of life.
Political views
Free love
The term free love has been used to describe a social movement that rejects marriage, which is seen as a form of social bondage. The Free Love movement’s initial goal was to separate the state from sexual matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery. It claimed that such issues were the concern of the people involved, and no one else.
Many people in the early 19th century believed that marriage was an important aspect of life to "fulfill earthly human happiness." Middle-class Americans wanted the home to be a place of stability in an uncertain world. This mentality created a vision of strongly defined gender roles, which provoked the advancement of the free love movement as a contrast.
The term "sex radical" is also used interchangeably with the term "free lover", and was the preferred term by advocates because of the negative connotations of "free love". By whatever name, advocates had two strong beliefs: opposition to the idea of forceful sexual activity in a relationship and advocacy for a woman to use her body in any way that she pleases. These are also beliefs of Feminism.
Want to inspire your guy to be more romantic? Show him these real-life stories of what men have done for love
By Andy Simmons
When it comes to your relationship, do you ever feel like you’re the one pulling all the weight as far as romance is concerned? While it may sometimes seem like men are missing the part of the brain responsible for spontaneous romantic gestures, as these real-life stories can attest, they do have it in them – all they need is a little inspiration. Share this article with the guy in your life today. It may just bring out his inner Romeo.
He puzzled her
Aric Egmont knew he had to calm down or he was going to blow it. After all, who
breaks out into a sweat doing the crossword puzzle? If he didn’t relax, he was
sure to clue his girlfriend, Jennie Bass, into the fact that this was no
ordinary Sunday
Boston Globe.
This was his marriage proposal.
The two, both 29—he’s in communications, she studies public health—had dated for
four years and never seriously discussed marriage. Why mess up a good thing?
went the thinking. But Aric had second thoughts. And since they were crossword
fanatics, he says, proposing via the tiny boxes of a puzzle “was a more natural
idea than it might seem to others.”
So last June he contacted the
Globe
and told them about his idea. They bit. Aric fed
Globe
puzzle writers Emily
Cox and Henry Rathvon personal info to be turned into clues, then he waited …
for four torturous months.
On the morning of September 23, having not slept the entire night before, Aric
nonchalantly asked Jennie, “Want to do the crossword puzzle?” He bolted
downstairs and out the door, grabbed the paper, then ran up to their bedroom.
Climbing back into bed, the two assumed their normal puzzle-solving pose, with
Jennie leaning against him. Almost immediately, she was struck by the number of
clues that matched up with people and places in her life.
Twenty across asked: “Lover of Theseus.” The answer was Ariadne, whose namesake
is a friend of Jennie’s. Seventy-three across: “One of the Judds.” Naomi, also
Jennie’s sister’s name. Ninety-one across: “NASCAR driver Almirola.” Answer:
Aric.
Aric began scanning ahead to where the big clue was. “I knew the moment was
coming,” he said. And there it was. One hundred eleven across: “Generic
proposal.” Clever, he thought, a wordplay on Jen and Aric. The clue next to it
was “Winston’s mother.”
“Look at that,” said Aric. “‘Will you marry me, Jennie.’” He waited for a
reaction. He didn’t get one. Jennie is a smart person, smart enough to know all
about Theseus’ love life, but this was information overload. So Aric produced a
ring and, quoting the Boston Globe crossword puzzle, asked, “Will you marry me,
Jennie?”
After tears and shrieks and lots of “I love you’s,” Jennie said yes.
“I’m not the most romantic person,” admits Aric. “I think I was playing above my
head on this one.”
Then Romeo adds, “Hopefully, this will satisfy Jennie for a while.”
She forgave
As blind dates go, it was a good one. The year was 1950, and some friends
figured that 20-year-old Grace Miltenberger might like their fellow Marine, Bob.
They were right. “I thought he was the most handsome man in the world, and I
fell right in love with him,” she says. It was mutual.
They dated happily for almost a year, then Bob up and disappeared. No calls, no
visits and, most maddeningly, no explanations.
Not one to wallow, Grace enlisted in the Marines. Four years later, she and Bob
hooked up again. Neither remembers the exact circumstances, but Grace does
recall, “I still loved him.” And after a few months, her finger sported a big,
fat diamond engagement ring.
Then it happened again. In October 1954, she got a call from Bob saying he
couldn’t go through with it. No reason given; he just couldn’t do it.
“The not knowing why is what hurt the most,” says Grace.
As before, she collected herself. In 1958 she married another man, and over the
years, the couple had five daughters. But the marriage was an unhappy one, and
adding to Grace’s anxiety was a secret she kept from her husband. Taped to the
underside of a dresser drawer was the engagement ring Bob had given her. After
what he put her through, most people might have pawned it or tossed it in a
river. But not Grace. “I never stopped loving him,” she says.
When her faltering marriage dissolved in 1969, Grace devoted herself to her
daughters and to getting degrees in sociology and nursing.
Fast-forward to 2004. The phone rings. A voice says, “Gracie?”
“I threw the phone in the air and said, ‘Oh, my God. It’s Bob.’”
He’d called under the pretense of finding out where the guy who’d introduced
them was buried. Three and a half hours later, they hung up. During their chat,
Grace learned that Bob was a widower after 48 years of marriage.
“I never figured out what happened to us,” he said at one point.
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“I’ll tell you what happened—you dumped me.” But she wasn’t mad. She was
thrilled to be talking to him.
On New Year’s Day, 2005, they became engaged over the phone. Six months later,
Bob visited Grace at her home outside Tulsa. It was the first time they’d seen
each other in half a century. He showed up at her doorstep, and, she says, “we
just walked into each other’s arms like we’d always been together.”
On the day he popped the question, Bob said, “Now I guess I’ve got to get you a
ring.”
“No,” she said. “I’ve got one.”
“Who gave you that?”
“You did, you big, dumb jerk. Fifty years ago.”
This time, Bob didn’t run away.
He posted a plea
On a Sunday evening last November, Patrick Moberg, 21, a website developer, was
in the Union Square subway station in New York City. “Out of the corner of my
eye, I noticed this girl,” he says. “She had bright blue shorts and dark blue
tights and a flower in the back of her hair.” New York’s fun if you’re a guy—the
city’s lousy with gorgeous women. But this one was different. She was his
perfect girl.
When the number 5 train pulled into the station, the two got on. “I was
enthralled,” he says. “I noticed details like her braided hair and that she was
writing in a pad. I couldn’t shake the desire to talk to her.”
Taking a deep breath, he headed her way. Just then the train pulled into the
Bowling Green station. The doors opened, a rush of humanity swarmed in, and then
suddenly, she was gone.
He considered giving chase, but there’s a fine line between blind love and
stalking. He thought of plastering the station with posters. Then a brainstorm:
the Internet. “It seemed less encroaching,” he says. “I didn’t want to puncture
her comfort zone.”
That night, the world had a new website: nygirlofmydreams.com. On it, Patrick
declared, “I Saw the Girl of My Dreams on the Subway Tonight.” He drew a picture
of the girl etched in his mind, along with a portrait of himself with this
disclaimer pointed at his head: “Not insane.”
The website spread virally, and soon he had thousands of leads. Some were
cranks, and some were women offering themselves in case he struck out.
Two days later, he got an e-mail from someone claiming to know the girl. He even
supplied a photo. It was her. She was an Australian interning at a magazine, and
her name was Camille. And she wanted to meet too.
Their first meeting was awkward. And why not? It was set up by Good Morning
America. Like the rest of the media, GMA saw a great love story and pounced. But
being sucked into a media maelstrom isn’t necessarily conducive to a nascent
love affair. “There was a lot of uncertainty on how to act around each other,”
Patrick said. And in the back of Camille’s mind, a nagging thought: Who is this
guy?
The media circus eventually moved on, giving the two a chance to talk without a
microphone present.
“Everything I found out about her was another wonderful thing,” says Patrick.
She was smart, funny and a big personality, a nice fit for this shy guy. “And,”
he continues quietly, “we’ve been hanging out together every day since.”
Thinking back, he sighs. “It’s amazing everything went without a hitch.”
He got her jazzed
“I really can’t think of anybody who wouldn’t appreciate being met at the airport by a jazz band,” says writer Calvin Trillin. “I suppose there might be some people who are in the witness protection program.”
BIBLICAL Views
KJV Luke 10: 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
KJV 1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a
tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all
knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and
have
not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body
to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not
itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail;
whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall
vanish
away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as
a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in
part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these
is charity.
KJV Matthew 5: 43-48
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute
you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh
his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on
the
unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the
publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even
the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
KJV 1 John 4:7 - 1 John 5:4
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
KJV 1 John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
KJV 1 Thessalonians 4:8-9
8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but
God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye
yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
KJV 1 Peter 4: 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
KJV Romans 13: 8-10
8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he
that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not
steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be
any other
commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the
law.
KJV Ephesians 5:22-26
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as
unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the
church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave
himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
KJV Genesis 2:23-24
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and
flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto
his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
KJV Ephesians 5: 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
KJV Matthew 19:4-6
4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not
read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave
to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath
joined together, let not man put asunder.
KJV Mark 10:6-9
6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them
male and female.
7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his
wife;
8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one
flesh.
9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
KJV Colossians 3:19-21
19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against
them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the
Lord.
21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
KJV John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one
another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another.
KJV Luke 6:27-37
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do
good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him
that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods
ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love
those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for
sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for
sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;
and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for
he is
kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be
condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
KJV Matthew 22:36-40
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
KJV 1 Peter 3:10-11
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let
him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
KJV Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are
accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved
us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
KJV Luke 14:26-28
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and
mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life
also, he cannot be my
disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my
disciple.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and
counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
KJV 1 John 3:8 My little children, let us not love in
word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
KJV John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
KJV Luke 6:28-36
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him
that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods
ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love
those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for
sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for
sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;
and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for
he is
kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
KJV Matthew 10:37-39
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not
worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of
me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of
me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my
sake shall find it.
KJV Romans 5: 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us
KJV Philippians 1: 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
KJV Mark 12:28-34
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them
reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him,
Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel;
The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first
commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for
there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with
all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself,
is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art
not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any
question.
Church feuds are not uncommon, especially among cliques
in the
congregation. But when the pastor and choir director get into it, stand aside.
One week a preacher preached on commitment, and how we should
dedicate ourselves to service. The director then led the choir in singing,
'I Shall Not Be Moved.'
The next Sunday, the preacher preached on giving and how we should gladly
give to the work of the Lord. The choir director then led the song,
'Jesus Paid It All.'
The next Sunday, the preacher preached on gossiping and how we should
watch our tongues. The hymn was
'I Love To Tell The Story.'
The preacher became disgusted over the situation, and the next Sunday he
told the congregation he was considering resigning. The choir then sang '
Oh, Why Not Tonight.'
When the preacher resigned the next week, he told the church that Jesus had
led him there and Jesus was taking him away. The choir then sang,
'What A Friend We Have in Jesus.'
(Jesus the friend who takes away burdens,{ KJV Matthew11:28-30, 28 Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.} not
to say the preacher was a burden because he wasn't, in fact he was the one
leading them to rest. If this was real would it be right to say, Its just two
different points of view. This two would need to find common ground in what the
scriptures said in those issues as well as involve others or may be vote
For instance on not gossip and loving to tell the story are the same view that
when its time for someone to communicates they should communicate the truth. On
giving and Jesus paid it all is the same statement in that God has blessed as
with all and we bring some as thanksgiving. If someone is sure something is
right and has prove and no other person or law has a difference in opinion why
shouldn't they go straight ahead.)
Love, lust, and marriage
Posted: 19 Jun 2013 05:22 AM PDT
Love: When you take a bubble bath together
Lust: When you take a bath in Jell-O together
Marriage: When you give the kids a bath
Love: A romantic candlelight dinner for two
Lust: “Do I have to buy you dinner first?”
Marriage: 4 Happy Meals . . . to go
Love: Giving your love some candy
Lust: Thinking you are the candy
Marriage: Scraping candy off of the carpet
Love: A night out at the Symphony
Lust: A night out at the Holiday Inn
Marriage: A night out at Sesame Street On Ice
Love: Aroma — French perfume
Lust: Aroma — Brut aftershave
Marriage: Aroma — “The baby needs changing. . .”
Love: Lending your jacket to your love when he/she is cold
Lust: “I can think of a way to stay warm . . .”
Marriage: Your teenager just took your jacket
Love: Talking and cuddling
Lust: Rolling over and falling asleep
Marriage: Getting up to wash your hands . . .
Love: Finding the “Fell in Love on AOL” chat-room
Lust: Finding the “Blonde Dominatrix” chat-room
Marriage: Finding the “Married and Looking” chat-room
Love: Long drives through the countryside
Lust: Long parking sessions at Lover’s Lookout
Marriage: Long drives with the kids screaming in the back-seat
Love: Sex every night
Lust: Sex 5 times a night
Marriage: Sex?
The kindergarten class had a homework assignment to find out
about something exciting and relate it to the class the next day. When the
time came for the little kids to give their reports, the teacher was calling
on them one at a time. She was reluctant to call upon little Johnnie, knowing
that he sometimes could be a bit crude. But eventually his turn came. Little
Johnnie walked up to the front of the class, and with a piece of chalk, made a
small white dot on the blackboard, then sat back down. Well the teacher
couldn't figure out what Johnnie had in mind for his report, so she asked him
just what that was. "It's a period," reported Johnnie. "Well I can see that,"
she said, "But what is so exciting about a period." "Damned if I know," said
Johnnie, "But this morning my sister said she missed one. Then Daddy had a
heart attack, Mommy fainted and the man next door shot himself."
(People should move out and marry before pregnancy therefore the wise decide
no intercourse outside marriage)
See also:
- Jesus Christ
- Believer
- Satan
- 666
- Theism/Atheism
- Death
- Salvation
- GOOD SAMARITAN
- FALSE TEACHERS
- RICH DECEIVED
- QURAN ERRORs
- Christ Passion
- Scripture
- MARTIN LUTHER INTRODUCTION
- JOSEPH AND JESUS
- DAVINCi CODE
- RFID
- Excluded Verses
- Religion
- St Basil Hymnal
- Christian Wallpaper
- Believes
- Joseph Prince
- JC
31 Funny Love Quotes From Comedians Who Totally Get You