Now that I have run the word motivation into the ground, I thought I would come back and talk about the very root that “should” motivate us. In fact, watching “The Grammy’s” the other night they mentioned this word a lot. It flashed on the screen above the singers more than a dozen times, and each person talking about Haiti mentioned it in their speeches. Although, I don’t know if the word really stuck or if their definition was correct. As most of you probably have guessed this word is “LOVE”.

Love is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but I am not sure we understand the implications it holds. When I was a young stud wooing the ladies (kidding of course), I threw this word out quite a bit. You know the awkward times of getting off the phone and the words “I Love You” usually spew out when you are not thinking, or you get caught in a trap by her spewing the same words first. Merely listening to the radio or musical artists we see love used excessively. “Love Will Build a Bridge,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” and my all time favorite by DC Talk, “Luv (notice spelling) is a Verb”. You know DC Talk may have gotten it right more than we think. Listen to these words: “Because love is a word that requires some action.” So what is love without action?

Of course, when speaking of love my mind automatically goes to I Corinthians 13. Most of you might be familiar with what it says in I Corinthians 13:4-8. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” Man, what a great passage right? I believe this gives us a great look at love, and we can even compare ourselves to it as sort of a measurement. Am I patient? Do I insist on my way? And so on. The part we often over look is captured by Paul in verses 1-3. Paul gives us an idea of what this motivator is all about. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

If it is not eloquent words, knowledge (which we put so much stock into now days), or faith and not even ultimate surrender than what is love? Share some stories that you have seen that describe this ultimate motivator, and give some ideas of what you think love truly is. And if that is what you believe then do you posses that kind of love?