Five Love Languages

You may have heard of the five love languages before. If not, briefly, these are five distinct categories, or languages, in which we can show and receive love. The concept is mainly applied to married couples -- the husband and wife may both be earnestly trying to show love to each other but neither feels loved for some reason. The problem in that case is they speak different love languages. The solution is to learn the love language, or languages, of their partner and learn to speak that language. Its a pretty cool concept, and so true.

The five love languages are words of affirmation, acts of service, giving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. Try to find a genuine act of love that you show your spouse and its going to fit into one of these categories.

But I had an interesting thought tonight. Okay maybe boring to you, but interesting to me. How do these languages apply in other relationships, particularly our relationship with God?

I am fully convinced God can hear us speak love to him in any of these languages, but how do we? Let's think about it.

Words of affirmation. That sounds like a big chunk of Psalms to me. Much "worship music". How about just dancing like David before the LORD praising his name and lifting it up? Praise is very good.

Acts of service. That sounds like meeting the physical and spiritual needs of others. Feed the hungry out on the streets of the city. Help your neighbor, your biblical neighbor that is, out when they need it. Do a service project through a local church. Anything where you get out there and be the hands and feet of Jesus. Service is good.

Giving gifts. That sounds like offerings to me. God has given us so much, how hard is it to give some back to him? Send tithes to your church home. Sponsor a child in another country. Support a missionary. Help fund a special project through the church. There are so many ways to do it. Giving is good.

Quality time. That sounds like prayer and getting into the word to me. Just spend time with the LORD talking to him and listening to him speak to your heart. Don't speed read the Bible just to meet your reading plan. Don't rush through rote prayers you say all the time without thinking. If your heart isn't in it, God doesn't want it. Spending some real time with him is good.

Physical touch. Okay, I admit I don't know about this one. But I can think of how it could play out the other way round. Its when we stand before Jesus Christ one day. After a lifetime of applying the above four languages to our relationship with Jesus, what a joy it would be to hear, as he puts his hand on a shoulder, "well done, good and faithful servant, well done."

Grace and Peace