The ABC's of Love

" Jesus said to His disciples, "My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so also should you love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples." [ John 13: 31-35].

God is Love [1 John 4: 16].

The greatest commandment in Christianity is to Love.

Let me make this very clear:   Those who supposedly rely on the Bible to make war, conquer, terrorize or assassinate, are mis-using the Bible and are not following Jesus' commandment to love one another.

LOVE is NOT  . . . . . . . . .

abandonment
anger
animal cruelty
aggression
abuse
adultery
ageism
ambush
annihilation
anarchy
antagonism
anti-Semitism
arson
arrogance
assassination
assault
atrocity
attacks

back stabbing
back talk
battery
belittling
belligerence
berating
bias
bigotry
blackmail
boasting
bombing

callousness
cheating
choking
conquering
conspiracy
capital punishment
corruption
cursing
criminality
cruelty
cut-throat

debasement
degradation
defamation
defilement
deprecation
derision
discord
discrimination
disparagement
disrespect
domineering
drug trafficking

egotism
embezzlement
enmity (creating enemies)
envy
evil
exploitation
extortion

falsehood
fiendishness
forgery
fraud

gloating
gluttony
gossip
greed

hacking
harassment
harm
harshness
hate
hostility
hijacking
hypocrisy

illicitness
immorality
impatience
infanticide
iniquity
invasion


jealousy
judgmentalism

kidnapping
killing


laziness
looting
lust

male-bashing
maliciousness
materialism
manipulation and control
meanness
mercilessness
mocking
murder
mutilation
mysogny

narcissism
neglect (of children)

obscenity
opportunism
oppression
ostracism

perjury
persecution
plagiarism
poisoning
pollution
pompousness
prevarication
profligacy (waste)
profanity

quarreling
quick-tempered-ness

racism
rage
reckless driving
rejection
revenge
rudeness

sabotage
sacrilege
sarcasm
scorn
selfishness
sexism
sexual assault
silent treatment
slandering
slavery
slaughter
snobbishness
spamming
stalking
starvation of  another
strangulation
swearing
sweat shops

tantrums
taunting
terrorism
theft
threatening
tormenting
torture
trauma
trespassing

unconscionable acts
ungenerousness
unforgiveness
unrighteousness
usuriousness

vanity
violence
venality
verbal abuse
viciousness

war
weapons of mass destruction
wickedness

xenophobia

zealousness


"Love is patient, Love is kind. It is not jealous, Love is not pompous, it is not inflated. Love is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury. Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing, but rejoices with the Truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. [1 Corinthians 13: 1-8].

Every day, we hear news, somewhere in the world, of so many of the criminal activities on this list. And I say to myself:  But, I am no embezzler, abuser, murderer, drug trafficker, etc. !!!

And yet, the entire world has a lot of work to do, to follow Jesus and His Commandment to Love. I do not exempt myself from this condemnation.

Do you sometimes yell at your kids?  This is verbal abuse. This is not Love. Call your spouse an idiot? This is belittling. Tailgate other drivers on the road? This is harassment and intimidation. Feel suspicious of foreigners? This is xenophobia. Lie, even just a little? This is prevarication. Talk about others behind their back? This is gossip. Get jealous over what someone has, that you do not have?  This is envy. Slam your hand on a table in anger? This is rage. Criticize others? This is judgment. Do a little bit less work on the job, hoping someone else will pick up the slack for you? This is sloth (laziness). Commandeer a conversation? This is "hijacking". Curse someone out? This is profanity. Tell your kids to do as you say, not as you do? This is hypocrisy. Tell your wife that you will not take her to the beach unless she loses some weight? This is manipulation and control. Joke with your girlfriends about how useless men are? This is male bashing. Throw back-talk at your parents? This is disrespect. Tell "Jewish jokes"? This is anti-Semitism. Refuse to give someone the benefit of a doubt? This is unforgiveness. Do you sneak to the kitchen to take the last pastry for yourself, before anyone notices? This is gluttony. Everytime you buy something you really don't need, do you think it is not enough? This is materialism; and greed. Think all your problems are way more important than  anyone else's? This is narcissism.

True Love takes practice. But Love is the most important bond of life, that connects all of us, as fellow human beings. Love is life-giving. Love melts hardened hearts. Love brings us closer to God. Love IS the God within us.


Love to all,

The Spiritual Devotional

[Related Postings: " Love is Patient", Feb. 5, 2011; "Love is Kind", Feb. 18, 2011; "Hate = Murder", Feb. 17, 2011; "Love Your Enemies", Feb. 21, 2011; Love Never Ends", Feb. 28, 2011; "Love is Truth", Feb. 8, 2012; "Love is Courage", Feb. 15, 2012; "Love is Forgiveness", Feb. 29, 2012; " Love Thy Neighbor", Oct. 23, 2011.]

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