andiclare

This was brought up on another thread...I was interested in discussing it more, but didn't want to hijack the thread. So--

What is the relationship between love and emotions?

Can you judge the depth of a person's love by the intensity of their feelings?

Personally, I do believe that love is an act of will, from which positive feelings (affectionate, giddy, etc.) flow naturally. But the reality of love can't depend on sustaining a certain feeling. What does everyone else think?

Jax

There are different types of love, Agape which is like God's love, phileos which is the love we have with 'feeling's etc and erotic love which is obviosuly sexual.
I think I have got it round the right way , but if not please correct it, it is very early here in the UK!
The Agape or unconditional love is the love that can come only from God, and we usually feel this way toward our children, and thoser God has empowered us to love.
It isnt a feeling because most people let us down, it is a choice.

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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that 'WHOSOEVER' believes, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Beloved

Emotions or feelings are fickled... Love one moment ... want to strangle the next...

Though in Love the feelings can follow... Love should always and for the most part be a verb...

Mark 12:33
And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”
Luke 6:35
“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.
John 14:24
Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.

1 Corinthians 13

Love Is the Greatest

1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

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Shalom

( SHALOM says: Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. )

Beloved
1 Corinthians 14:1 Let Love be your highest goal.

Who am I

I believe the intensity of someone’s feelings could signify the depth of their love, or it may signify the depth of their desire. It all depends on how much they expect in return. If someone is expecting something in return and they don’t get what they want, the “intensity” starts to change to control to try to get what they want. It has gotten to the point with some that the control gets so bad, the other person leaves. They then make a statement, “If I can’t have you… nobody will have you”, Then they try to kill that person who they say they love. Those are some intense feelings, but I don’t believe there is much love in feelings like that.

I believe it would be better to judge the depth of a person’s love by the sacrifices they make, and the attitude they have while making the sacrifices. It all boils down to not expecting anything in return.

“An expectation is nothing more than a premeditated resentment” -- some guy in an AA meeting down south. (drunks are pretty smart sometimes)

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Blessings to all

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Boanerges

Some believers visit in the outer court, some the inner court and some live and dwell in the Holy of Holies. Some call His Name but never draw close at all, this is always an individual choice as God payed the ultimate price to remove barriers between us and Him.
Lack of feelings in love- well all may have those times but if you are really in love with someone your heart should be stirred.
Humans can be fickle but (if ever) and when ones walk brings you into the the presence of the living God your heart will be stirred. If it does not bring you close enough to God to be moved then something is wrong. This was my comment in the last thread about this:
I cannot see how one can fall out of love with or loose the feelings they have for God. The very angels who have been in His presence for countless millenia are constantly and continually overwhelmed by His beauty and glory.He is endless and the more we seek of Him the more we may experience and are called to be sons of God how can we experience less. There sadly may have been a time when I was in this same boat but by the sovereign hand of my God I was sent to those who would teach me how to live and dwell in His presence. Most days I can hardly contain what He pours into me and I cannot walk a step without that presence. Yes I am addicted to the presence of God. The best part of all of this is He hungers for my fellowship also as this was the very reason man was created. It is beyond awesome and my words will fail me when I tell of this great love. With every glimpse of move love my heart is all the more moved.

In conclusion I wonder what Jesus feels about coming back for a loveless bride?

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Anything that dims my vision for Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps me in my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me; and I must, as a Christian turn away from it. – J. Wilbur Chapman

Boanerges

Can religious duty ever take the place of loves relationship? God is love and that very Love sacrificed all to be in close and intimate relationship.

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Anything that dims my vision for Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps me in my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me; and I must, as a Christian turn away from it. – J. Wilbur Chapman

Boanerges

Indeed commitment, sacrifice, tenacity- all these things are important but when you try to pull down heavens heart to human terms relationship wise you will always miss the mark. Jesus said be hot or cold but not luke.

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Anything that dims my vision for Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps me in my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me; and I must, as a Christian turn away from it. – J. Wilbur Chapman

Who am I

I agree. I always look at loving your wives as Jesus loves the Church. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for the Church. Even If I were to die for my wife, it would be the ultimate sacrifice for her, but would never come close to the sacrifice Jesus made. The two would be similar, but at the same time, incomparable.

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Blessings to all

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Watchman

Love is much deeper than a temporary feeling that could flee ya.
Love is patient, longsuffering and kind, keeps no record of wrong, and always has the other party in mind.

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Habakkuk 3:2LORD, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.
Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy

Boanerges

But I must ask this question again- Do you think you could ever meet with God, have a real encounter with Love and not have your heart moved? If one dwells more and more in His presence can that one ever become emotionally stagnant and take Him for granted as in an earthly relationship?
God gave us emotions as part of our being and I cannot see having an ongoing encounter with God and having your heart grow cold.
Perhaps that may happen in the outer courts but as one approaches the Holy of Holies this will never be. If ones love for God begins to cool then that one must realize this is a warning sign that this world and it's cares are distracting that one from God Himself.
I would ask again is Jesus coming back for a ho-hum bride?


"for the joy of the LORD is your strength"- no joy no strength

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Anything that dims my vision for Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps me in my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me; and I must, as a Christian turn away from it. – J. Wilbur Chapman