Agapé

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,

bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2

Do you see that last word, love? That is the word I want to talk about for a moment or two. The Bible wasn’t written in English. This particular part of the Bible was originally written in Greek. And the Greek word that was translated into English as love is the word agapé. And it was a word that the ancient Greeks didn’t use very much. In fact the word agapé has only been found once outside of the Bible.

I think one reason for their lack of using this word is because it is such a foreign concept in dealing with each other. What’s in it for me? is a common attitude people have in dealing with each other.

I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone a while back. In the course of the conversation I asked if he had talked to some mutual friends lately. He said that he hadn’t. “They don’t call me, so why should I call them?” It is the what’s-in-it-for-me attitude.

Thus I think that it is just a foreign concept to mankind in general. So the Greeks rarely used it, in my opinion, because they rarely, if at all, lived it.

Paul the Apostle took that word and gave it widely known recognition. If you’ve been around Christians for very long, then you’ve probably heard people dropping it around from time to time. We don’t know Greek, but we know that word. It’s a famous word now. Out of the 116 times that it is used in the Bible, Paul uses it 75 times. This concept plays a huge role in every letter that Paul wrote. He used it to explain God’s great love- His unconditional, irrevocable, indescribable love for you and me.

He also used this word, agapé another way. He used it to describe the kind of love we are to have with one another. In this verse he uses some descriptive words – humble, gentle, patient, and bearing with one another! Wouldn’t that be cool if this were the way people always delt with us.

And do you know why these words are used to describe agapé? Because people are so hard to deal with. The 2 most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity. If it weren’t for people, this would be a nice world to live in. And do you know why people are so hard to deal with? Because they are a lot like you! Okay, and me.

I’ve read that psychiatrists say that 1 of 4 people are mentally ill. Check three friends. If they're OK, you're it. I don’t  know if you ever thought of this, but it may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others. I know I’ve thought that about me many times!!!

Let’s be honest, we can be real jerks from time to time. Even though I tend to think that  if I am doing it, it can’t be as bad as when you do it. My faults look worse on you, than I think they do on me.

This is why agapé is so critical in how we deal with others. People are so flawed, we need to have this attitude. We have to be unconditional in loving our children, our friends, co-workers. It is a call of God on our lives. Can you agapé your children today? Your boss? Your spouse? Your teacher? Your pastor? Your friend? Your parents? It will change your life… and theirs.

If this has been helpful for you, would you please post a link to this page on your Facebook wall? Lets spread the news.