Articles From Our Bulletins
Love or Lust: Do You Know the Difference?
Love is the most basic human emotion and need; Lust is a poor and pitiful substitute.
Love establishes value; Lust requires value; (Love says, "This person is 'valuable' to me because I love them" while Lust says, "I 'love' this person because they are valuable to me."
Love is selfless; Lust is selfish.
Love is of heaven- spiritual, divine, and fulfilling; Lust is from below, fleshly, earthly, and insatiable.
Love is an affection or affinity toward; Lust is a desire for.
Love is patient; Lust is impatient.
Love is kind and sensitive; Lust is rude and crude.
Love is never jealous; Lust is ever jealous.
Love is not arrogant and does not brag; Lust is and does.
Love is becoming and pure; Lust is ugly and putrid.
Love forgives and forgets; Lust neither forgives nor forgets (it always keeps and knows the "score").
Love loves the lovely; Lust lusts the lusty.
Love bears, believes, hopes, and therefore endures all things; Lust bears nothing, believes nothing, hopes nothing (beyond instant gratification), and therefore endures nothing (or very little).
Love NEVER fails (to fulfill, to overcome, or to endure); lust ALWAYS fails (to fulfill, to overcome, or to endure).
We've mistaken and misidentified "love" and "lust" for far too long. Since, "God is "love" (1John 4:8) we cannot know God without knowing Love. And unless we "love another," instead of selfishly desiring and using one another, we cannot love God or love as He loves (cf. 1John 4:20 and Matt.44-48).
(Philip C. Strong; Southport Church of Christ; 7202 Madison Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46227; online at southportcofc.org)