(1). Love is not just a beautiful feeling - Real love is a commitment; it is more than just a beautiful feeling. A commitment is a choice backed up with actions. That you are having a beautiful feeling towards someone does not mean you are in love. It might be infatuation.

(2) Not a sexual urge - Sexual urge is not equivalent to love. Love is quite different from sex and vice versa. You can have sexual urge towards any member of the opposite sex but love is to that particular person. God gave you grace to give your heart to.

(3) Love is not based on that lady's voice or that guy's bank account - If this is the foundation of your so -called ‘Love', then you are just being lustful and covetous.

(4) Not what you feel at first sight- You can be infatuated or be sexually moved toward somebody at first sight. But true love grow slowly with time. You can't love somebody you don't know but you can only be infatuated with their appearances, voice or gift, which may later grow to deep love or die.

(5) Love is not blind - Lust and infatuation may be blind but love is certainly not. If “you are blindly in love”, you are truly in lust. Open your eyes wide. If you think love is blind, marriage will open your eyes. Be very careful.

(6) Salutation is not love - That brother moving closer to you may not be in love; that he is a good friend may not necessarily make him a good husband. That somebody is fond of you may not mean he loves you. Salutation is not love.

(7) Love cannot come from an immature mind - Infatuation is what often comes from an immature mind, not true love. It takes a mature mind to love sacrificially. So all those school boys and girls between ages 15 - 19 claiming to be in love may be lustful but not truly in love. Statistics shows that less than 30% of secondary school love affairs end up in marriage. Why? Because, it is based on shaky foundation. Love is for mature minds, not teenagers. Marriage is for men and women, not for boys and girls.

(8) Love is not in haste - Love is never in a hurry to go into sex. It is ready to wait. TRUE LOVE WAITS, but fake love is hasty and makes one a waste .

(9) Love is not envious - What will make a man pour acid on another man he sees with his partner? It is certainly not love but stupidity. What will make a lady commit suicide because she is “jilted”? Certainly It is not love from God.

(10) Love is not quickly provoked - Anger does not co-exist with love; true love destroys bitterness and calls for forgiveness.

(11) True love is not without control - “I am so much in love that I cannot control myself,” said someone supposedly; true love puts one under perfect control. In fact, love is like a bridle that controls a horse.

(12) True love cannot come from an unregenerated mind - God is love; love is God. Anybody that will posses true love must be in God. Hollywood type of “love” is not real but lust. That is why a popular Hollywood star that acts love has been in and out of marriage for more than 15 times in the name of love. It takes a God-like mind to have real love.

(13) Love is not without action - Love is not shown by words; it is demonstrated by actions. It is not a feeling; it is a sacrifice. It is not in words, but “worship” of the other party.

(14) Love will never rejoice in iniquity - It is ready to satisfy God at all cost. That is why true love runs away from pre-marital sex.

(15) Love thinks no evil - It does not think of punishing the other party. It will never think of hurting or indulging in sin with him. Love thinks no evil .

(16) Love is not proud - Love honours the other party, respects his opinion, obeys his word and reverences him. True love is submissive; it always remembers that a stubborn man/woman is a carbon copy of the devil.

(17) Love does not seek to glorify itself - Love revels in teamwork. It does not ascribe glory to itself. It is neither competitive nor complementary. LOVE SEEKS THE OTHER PARTY'S GOOD FIRST.

(18) Love respects - It is not abusive but uses choice words, giving due respect to the other party's opinions and beliefs.

(19) Not behave rudely - It is always cautious of handling the other party well; it will never embarrass the other party, most especially in the public, but corrects in love and sues for peace.

(20) Not selfish - Love has no “I” or ‘Me” in it's dictionary but “You”, “We”, “Our”. It is not selfish; it believes in joint account, staying in one room and peaceful living. It is not self-centered.

(21) Love is faithful/truthful - It is faithful; whatever it says, needs no cross-check. It is just like it is said

(22) Not based on any “love portions” - Love is not satanic; it is divine. It is not based on any love portion, but on the Lord's portion (the word of God).

(23) Love is not unkind - Kindness is the hallmark of love and mercy is it's sign post. Love brings favour and is ready to abide by the rules of God.

(24) Love is not robbery - Love becomes robbery if it only receives and does not give. Love seeks to give, not to receive. Whatever seeks to receive all the time is not love. If what that man wants from you is always sex without considering your feelings, he is not in love. He is rather in lust. Love is not robbery.

(25) Love is not trade by barter - Love is not give and take, it is give, give and give. It is not 50/50, but 100% sacrifice.

(26) Love does not break rules - Whatever breaks rule can ruin. Love respects church leadership, protocol and parents. It follows the rules and regulations and obeys divine order.

(27) Love does not dishonour marriage (Heb. 13:4): - Love makes marriage honourable and keeps the bed pure till the wedding night.

(28) True love will never disappoint - It sticks to it's promises and keeps marriage vows. True love will never disappoint God and the partner. It is dependable and reliable.

(29) True love is not without God - True love is not based on the words of man. In fact, no dictionary has given the right definition of love. Love is divine; it is based on God and not on the wisdom of man .

(30) Love is goodness and joy - True love weathers all storms and ends in joy. It turns from pain to gain, oven to haven, pressures to pleasures and failure to success. Love is good indeed.

 

* For more on Bisi Adewale, visit www.familybooster.org