Love

 Love is an emotional regard for another person or thing. Love is not stagnant, but steadily grows from time to time.  When love grows, it works like a magnet. It makes friends stay together united.  The same thing is true with things. Suppose; if someone likes his dog, he stays with his dog, talking how beautiful it is.  In the same token, to display that he likes his girl friend, he says:” I love my darling.  I spend most of my time with her. ” To show his love for God,  he says:” I love the Lord with all my flesh, soul and all my spirit. I meditate His word. I sing songs to glorify Him,” saying: 

Oh! Lord, Oh! Lord. X2

You hung on the Cross= 2 times

Oh! Lord of Calvary! X2

 O!  Lord! Your blood! X2

 O!  Lord! Your blood! X2

Jesus, dying on the Cross, sacrificed His life. After buried in the ground, He came back to life. After having power over death, and after resurrecting from the belly of the earth to the surface of the earth, He ascensions to heaven to  sit on the right hand of God and to mediate on our behalf. See Romans 8:34.   

Consequently therefore; can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times or hunger, and nakedness, or danger and death? See Romans 8:35

Four forms of love

 There are four forms of love. These are agape, philos and eros. All of them are originally Greek. Now we use them in English. There is also family love.

1. Love of God is agape love. This is God kind of love.  Or it is the kind of love that Jesus loves. When we were sinners, He loves us.  In return to that, He commands us to love one another, enemies inclusive.  See John 15:12-13.
2. Philos is brotherly/ friendly/ Love between friends.  
3. Eros- is sexual love between man and woman.  
4. Love among family members  

One cannot tell somebody, love this and love that. Leave him alone. Let him love as he likes, but when it comes to Jesus, we testify about the love of Jesus, because of His vicarious death and resurrection giving His life for us. He sacrificed for us. Nobody dies for us for the sake of our salvation. So, we never stop testifying about the love of Jesus.

Love between Friends (Philos)

Philos is affectionate love between friends. The friendship between Jonathan and David is a good scenario for our discussion, because Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. So, he made swear David, love to him as he loved his own soul. (1^st Sam. 20:17)   

Love Never Fails     

Love is good, but some say love hurts. This looks awkward, because it lacks confirmation from the Biblical. Contrary to this, however; separation from a friend hurts. Loneliness is the cause of depression. But when two friends are together, they enjoy their time, as well as their life. Thus, since this is the type of love between Jonathan and David, let us embrace it. In fact, when two friends are far apart, if they really love each other, distance will not separate them from each other. You know, distance does not matter for them. So, these friend partners will never separate, because they love each other as David and Jonathan loved each other to the end.   

Molla T. Nigatu