Page 81 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2018- Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS

LOVE | LOVE | LOVE | LOVE

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.” ~ I Corinthians 13:13

by Jess Peterson | www.amazingstoriesbyjess.com

There are four New Testament Greek words love. If you want your spouse to love you, you
used for love. Eros is romantic love. Storge is must first love them. If you want a co-worker
love of family. Philos is brotherly love. But it is to respect you (brotherly love), you must show
the word agape that the Bible uses the most. It respect as well. If you want family members
is best described as an “unconditional” love. It to love you, you must show deep, loyal love Inspiration
is a love that doesn’t ask anything in return. It for them. And if you want to be respected
is the love shown when one is willing to die for by someone you disagree with politically or
or to be placed in harm’s way for the benefit of otherwise, you must show respect and honor to
another person. them.
Agape love is the love found in John 3:16: “For And agape love goes even deeper. It says, “I
God so loved (agape) the world that He gave His am going to love you whether you return that
one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him love or not. It doesn’t matter. No matter what
shall not perish but have eternal life.” action you take regarding me, I will continue
Love is a word that is to show my love to you.” That’s
brandished about a lot, but it what Jesus did for me, for us. And
is not an easy thing. To love that’s what we must do for others,
can be difficult. To be loved, JUST LOVE remembering that God made and
to accept love, is sometimes loves them as well.
even more difficult. And EVERYONE... I really believe, also, that I
the most difficult for us I’LL SORT ‘EM cannot truly love in those other
to understand is that ways (romantically, in my family,
unconditional agape love. OUT LATER. and in brotherly love) without
Even the Apostle Peter had having at least a smidgeon of
trouble understanding it. agape love, without in some form
In John 21:15-19, Jesus asks ~GOD being willing to be self-sacrificial,
Peter if he loved him enough without expecting something
to die for him (agape). Peter in return. I’m not sure I know
replied that he loved Jesus completely how to put that in
like a brother (philos). Jesus again asked Peter action, but I know when it’s there, and others do
if he loved (agape) him. Peter again replied that as well.
Jesus knew he loved (philos) him. The third In the musical Oliver!, based on Charles
time, Jesus’s question is different. “Do you love Dickens’s “Oliver Twist”, a small orphan boy
me like a brother (philos)?” Peter again replied, sings the song that asks the question, “Where
“Lord, you know that I love you (philos).” Peter Is Love?” I guess I’m asking the same question
didn’t get it at this point, but he would later as today. I challenge all of us to love more—not
he went through various trials and even death just romantically and within our families—but
for the cause of Christ, exhibiting true agape to increasingly give brotherly love and respect—
love. and ultimately to love unconditionally, with that
In 1965, Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote God-given agape love.
the song, “What the world needs now is love,
sweet love . . .” That sentiment was true in 1965,
and it may be even truer today. We face such
turmoil, such hatred coming from a nation that
is so split politically, racially, and socially. We
just don’t have much brotherly love (phileo)
these days, much less agape love. What does it
take to change all of that? Will it take a war or
some other catastrophe to re-unite us? Or are we
past the point? Nationally, will we never again
look at our fellow man/woman and say, “I may
not agree with you, but I’m going to respect
you. And I am going to stand up for you and
defend you as a brother”?
Where to start? It starts with me, and it starts
with you. If you want to be loved, you must give

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