The Anchors of True Love

Blessings of the Lord is upon you. Today, I had like to share something interesting with you, called the Anchors of True Love. The series is going to be conclusive of what we began earlier this month. I trust the Lord that you have been tremendously blessed by the post in the month of March. Kindly, share your opinion on how the love post has been a blessing to you. In the coming month, we will be dealing with prayer.

In a world battered by false love, where people tell you that they love you, but they never meant it.  Where hope and expectations are built, yet they are razed to the ground in seconds. The delicate line of distinction between genuine love and one that isn’t can never be blurred by usage of the word love. In our day, the term love seems to gain expression in the mouths of many while the action that backs that love is seemingly absent. As a child of God, the Bible cautions us not to portray this kind of love where it manifests only in words alone and no more (1John 3:18). It is, therefore, necessary to determine what true love is.

We must resort to the bible to be able to discover the main anchors of true of love. I will reference a commonly quoted verse of the bible and begin my teaching from there.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-9

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.

Suffers long

That is one of the anchors of true love. It has the enduring ability to wait. If you want to know if someone’s claim of love is true, then check his patience gauge. At what level does it stand? It is at the time of waiting that the love of man is tested.  For God to find out if Abraham truly loves, the promise of Isaac didn’t come in one day. It came after about Twenty-five years of waiting. During that time, God watched Abraham’s conduct. No wonder that the bible tells us that we should be followers of them who through patience obtained the promise (Heb 12:11). There are so many people that impatience has ruined their lives, destiny, or careers. And these people are believers, they may be telling you they Love the Lord but look at their actions whether it is in alignment with their confession. They have no ability to wait at all. They want it now. I pray that God will help us in this area. The problem may not be a sin problem but rather a love issue. Remember too that patience is a fruit of the Spirit. And your cooperation with God is needed to make this anchor of love to be evidentiary in your life.

Never Behaves unseemingly

Rudeness, whether to God or to man is a loud announcement that love is visibly absent in your life. One of the anchors of love is that isn’t unceremonious. And do you know why God wants us to portray all these anchors of love? The answer lies in this verse of the bible Matthew:

5:16

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Our character around and close to people can win or send people away from Christ. Our lives are the bible that some people read. In 2016, I received a text message from someone in the following lines: “Knowing you in this past year has made me a better person.”

As the last line of the text message ended, I heard in my Spirit, “that is why you must be careful with the way you live so as not to mislead others.”

What the Holy Spirit told me at the aftermath of that text message preached a very long and untiring sermon in my conscience. Even as I write to you, I am conscious of the fact that all of us who are children of God are preachers in one way or the other. If we don’t preach in words, we preach by our character and how we behave around people.

Self-seeking

Where love is true, it will be selfless. Even Jesus had to demonstrate this important anchor of love for us to emulate.  When he had to die for us. He had all the power to say, no more Father. I can’t go further than this. But his prayer was, “not my will but your will be done.”

This prayer was a selfless prayer. Yet how many times do we seek only what will benefit us in our day-to-day interaction with men? It is an indictment on our part that this anchor of love is missing in our lives. When a man or woman is pursuing her own interest only, true love is missing. But where you find a selfless person who walks with God, then you should know that he has been polished by the Holy Spirit not to seek his own will but that of others and the will of God. My prayer is that the Lord will help us in this area of our lives.

Not Easily Provoked

The Bible is a complete book, and it gives us a directive on how to lead our life daily. When we find ourselves so easily provoked by things that shouldn’t ordinarily provoke us, it may be time to go to the closet and seek the Lord’s face concerning this anchor of love that is missing in our lives.

The bible says love is not easily provoked. Let me tell you that by strength shall no man prevail. You should depend on the Holy Ghost for the quickening of your inner man in this area. The bible says it’s impossible to live in this world without offences (Luke 17:1). People will do things that will offend you. Often times, as you prepare to vent your frustration and anger over what they have done, an inner restraint of the Holy Spirit begins to sound in your heart. We are all children of God. Yet the degree of cooperation with the Spirit of God will determine how the anchors of love may or may not manifest in our lives. The flesh is looking for an environment that it can use to express itself.  To do whatever it feels okay to do. It can only be tamed if we follow the inner prompting in our hearts. If you are easily provoked, then this anchor of love is missing.

Thinks No evil

Jesus reproved the people of his day because of their thought patterns against him.

Matthew 9:4

And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

Where love is true, it won’t rejoice in evil against another.  That is why the bible says to keep our hearts with all diligence because out of it proceeds the issues of life. The thoughts of a man in his heart can evidence either the presence or absence of this important love anchor. If you can guard your heart against evil thoughts, then it is easy for this love aspect to show forth.

Rejoice not in wrongdoings

If you are in love with sin and living in it, then this anchor of love is absent in your life. The bible says love rejoice not in evil or wrongdoings. A man who delights in sin or doing bad things can’t say he truly loves. The bible says by their fruit we shall know them. Anyone that loves evil and says he is a child of God is making unfounded claims because love does not rejoice in evil but in truth.

Bears all things

Love bears. The Bible tells us to bear with one another. We should have tolerance for one another. This is especially necessary because we are not all at the same level of spiritual development. People may be doing things because of the level that they are and what they have been going through. Our duty is to bear with them and if we can, teach and correct in love.

Faith and Trust

Hebrews 4:2

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

This anchor of love is important for our daily Christian life. We need it for victory in battle. We need it to receive what is our portion. In fact, the Bible says without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) Unbelief, doubt and lack of trust are indicators that the anchor of true love is absent.

Prayer

Lord help us not only to show true not but to live it daily in Jesus name, Amen.