Chemists seem to always be breaking down mixtures, combinations, and compounds into their most minuscule possible size to analyze them. It causes me headaches when I try to read the fine print on mortgage agreements, much less viewing and understanding subatomic particles. However we sometimes need to break things into smaller pieces to understand them. (Come to think of it, breaking things down is really something I’m good at.)

    A compound is created by combining two or more elements or parts. The description of love reminds us that in the Bible, love is a compound made up of multiple elements:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT)

    If love is so complex, how can we get a grasp of the “depth and breadth and height” of this compound? (cf. Eph. 3:18) The answer is through the examples of some special people. There are some who just make it easier to see through their example. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had the privilege to be reminded how special people can be when they sow love wherever they go.

    I attended a funeral for a Christian woman who saw people’s hurts and needs, then took charge financially to help them. Many people stood up in the audience and talked about how she cared for them and others, and then how she showed it by what she gave. She had a gift for decorating, so she made it a point to make Christian weddings special. Her loving expressions rippled across a large community of both believers and non-believers.

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

    Another couple that cares deeply, and shows that care especially for Christian marriages, is about to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. They have weathered the storms of some tough times through their own marriage, and now have recently faced great difficulties through health problems. They have shared their life stories and worked diligently with Christian marriages in northeast Tarrant County. They have been an example of love, and an inspiration, to so many. Thank you, and congratulations, Bob and Verna. As complex as it seems to understand love sometimes, listen to what Jesus says about love:

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35 NLT)

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NLT)

    As I sat at the funeral for that loving Christian woman, I was thinking about how her love would be remembered long after she was gone. What a wonderful legacy — a legacy of enduring love. But what kind of loving legacy will you and I leave?

    When you break down and study all the elements in love remember all the great examples we have. Through those examples, you will see real-life examples of the characteristics in 1 Corinthians 13. Then those elements will not simply be compounds or terms or areas of study, no, they will be characteristics of real people who live in our world. They will be realities we can achieve with the help and power of the Holy Spirit and not just theory.

    So let us start the New Year with those examples love, care and concern fresh in our minds, then let’s go out and prove to the world we are whose we say we are.

© 2002, Byron Ware. Used by permission.

Title: "Love - It's a Compound We Can See!"
Author: Byron Ware
Publication Date: January 9, 2002

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