The Greatest of These

    My mother gave me a glass piggy bank when I was younger. It is actually shaped like a pig, with a slot in the top, and because it’s clear glass, you can see through it. The odd thing about this piggy bank is that there is no hole in the bottom with a removable plate to easily retrieve your money. So, essentially, to retrieve any coins, I have to turn it upside down and rock it back and forth so the money will slide back out through the slot I put it in. I know, I know, the point of a piggy bank is to leave it in there until it’s full to save for a rainy day, but it’s very tempting when I deposit large coins to rob the bank on my way out the door and visit a drive thru fast food restaurant. I like being able to deposit and withdraw at my leisure. The deposit makes me feel good because I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, and the withdrawal makes me feel good because I’m getting back what I’ve deposited so I can get what I want. It’s a win-win, right? Well, if we’re just talking about a piggy bank, it may not have dire consequences. But, what if we compare people to piggy banks and the money to love? I’ve come to realize some important lessons related to my piggy bank about the phrase above in verse 5 that says Love “does not seek her own”…
    Love gives with no strings attached. “Strings” are conditions to achieve certain results that benefit the giver. Love involves a commitment to give with no promise of receiving an equal or any return. Love is not C.O.D. It doesn’t count its object as worthy or unworthy; true love isn’t earned or merited, it is given freely without regard of acceptance or rejection. If you love to get something, you’re not loving, you’re trying to make a deal.
In Luke 6:32–35, Jesus himself taught “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great…”
    I know that our desire is for people to love us back when we make the effort to love them, but I’ve found that we’re not always going to receive as much love as we give. So, we should always keep in mind that when we love, we’re not looking out for what we get from it. We give love for the person to take with them rather than giving love to make them stay.
When someone says “ I Love You”, I believe it is an all inclusive statement that includes the sentiments of adoration, admiration, respect and subjection. It is a bold statement, not to be frivolously mentioned, because when it is said, the speaker should be ready and willing to back it up. It’s not comparable to saying ‘I love pizza’, because if we go on a diet, we forsake pizza and decide we can live without it for the good of our health. To say we love a thing such as the example of food is a temporal statement, subject to our feelings, our principles and what is going on in our lives at the moment. But to say you love another person holds far greater meaning. It involves the will and emotions of the speaker and the receiver. It involves a commitment that shouldn’t be easily forsaken with a whim of emotion or a disagreement. It involves giving resources when means are slim, time when there’s never enough, meeting needs when your own aren’t met at times, and sacrifice for the one you love. When you say I Love You, you are in fact meaning I adore you, I respect you, I admire you, I make my heart and life subject to your ownership to be cared for by you, I’m committed to you, You’re exclusively the object of my affection (if it’s romantic relationship), I’m on your side, I reverence you, I will care for you, I will be loyal to you, I will be careful with my actions, thoughts and words toward you, I will think of you first, I will put your feelings ahead of mine, I value your life more than my own, I will be true and faithful to you, I will never allow anyone or anything to come between me and you, I will think only of your good and what I can do to be there for you every, and I’ll never judge you or condemn you.
    Not only should it mean all of this, it creates a solid reference in time when the other person can remember and be reassured of your intentions and commitment. It’s not just a current statement in the heat of a moment, it’s a future statement of promise. When we say these three simple words, we are really saying “I love you now, and always will….”