Day 9
Love
Never let love and kindness get away from you! Wear them like a necklace; write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will gain a good reputation. (Proverbs 3:3-4)
Love is a verb. Love is a verb of action and a verb of being. Love is others oriented. Love is patience, kindness, tenderness, unselfishness, faithfulness, courtesy, good temper, sincerity, generosity and more. From these passages Solomon teaches that love and loyalty win the favor of both God and man, that love is more powerful than evil and that it is better to have less with love than more with dissension and discord. Faithfulness is a key to the best relationships and marriage is to be monogamous.
Love really is blind or at least partially so. Love, Solomon suggests, is willing to overlook weaknesses, disregard faults and is able to cover over an offense.
In Proverbs love is not without accountability. Love is willing to be examined and to be conditional. Love allows for instruction and discipline.
Where are you looking for love? Are you a loving person? Will your friends and family remember you as one who loved much? Are you giving away your life to others in need? Is it possible to love too much?
