Love By Your Spirit, and not By Your Sense

Having elaborated on the love chapter, we might have found it overbearing to love the way the Bible describes.

If you haven’t read my elaborative summary on the love chapter yet, click here

However, as the topic implies, this is possible by allowing, letting the spirit lead and not your sense.

I would go a bit theological with this. We might have heard the expression or saying before that man is a “tripartite being”. In plain english, it means man is made up of three parts: the body (the external covering or shell), the soul and the spirit.

Now, the soul is the part of man that consists of his mind (logical reasoning), it’s also the seat of human emotions (feelings).

The Spirit is the part that’s identical to God, created in His image and likeness. It’s the part that’s capable of connecting with the Holy Spirit.

I have found that there are three (3) ways to love:

1. Love by your emotions
2. Love by your logic
3. Love by your spirit.

The first and second ways are both sensual, relying on the physical, human senses. I believe the greatest way is to love by your spirit.

We might want to be smart about love, but love is supernatural, it originates from God. It’s difficult for the human mind to fully fathom. Our human mind and physical senses, are limited in their abilities to grasp spiritual things. It cannot be properly handled, by the mere human sense or wisdom.

Afterall, the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God and His kingdom.

The world teaches to love with your brain (logic), to take it along on the love journey. While it might seem nobler than loving based on your feelings, there’s still an imbalance.

God’s way is to let His spirit lead you in love. To let him teach you how to love others the way He would have you love them (the way they need to be loved). In a way that brings peace, joy, wholeness and wellness.

Loving by your emotions or logic, are two extremes on the love spectrum. Loving by your spirit (the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you, God’s way), is the balanced way.

God is a spirit, God is love. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The capacity to love, comes by virtue of our likeness to God, having been made in His image. Therefore, it actually only makes sense to rely on God’s spirit, the Holy Spirit to guide you.

A lot of issues, fights, complications experienced in relationships, could be easily avoided by listening to the spirit of God convicting your spirit, instructing you on how to act, speak, rather than following your senses.

True power, the power to change, comes from the Holy Spirit. He’s the one capable of changing people, transforming them from the inside out, making them better versions of themselves.

In reading the love chapter, 1 Cor. 13:4-8, we learnt the characteristics of love, which often conflicts with our natural human tendencies.

Love is patient, kind, trusting, enduring, etc. Human wisdom says ‘be smart’… Love is selfless, sacrificial, puts others first etc… Human wisdom says ‘be selfish’…

Beyond letting Him lead, we do need to follow and obey His leading and promptings. The more we obey, the greater our sensitivity and receptiveness. Till it flows naturally from within us, till we no longer struggle to actually love His way, a point where we’re fully transformed in the likeness of His image. We’re called to TRUST and OBEY.

In learning to love like Christ, we can’t let our brains lead. We let His word and Spirit lead. That’s the only way we can enjoy a heavenly love on earth.

Love and Grace,

© Zizi 2019