LOVE: Foundation for Unity

 THE EIGHT (8) DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOVE

Texts: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Psalm 133:1-3; John 17.

The heart beat of God is unity of the brethren. The the power through which we shall have victory over oppositions and be successful in our Christian walk with God. Jesus said, if the house is divided against itself, how shall it stand? Unity of the Church, home or any organization based primarily on love among its members. 

Today we want to look at love at different angles. There are positive side of love and of course, there are negative use of love. There are eight kinds of Love that exist among humanity. Some of them are commendable while others are wrong and harmful. 

Love is addictive and humans can’t get enough! The hormones your brain releases when you experience love lead to euphoria and other positive feelings, leaving you wanting more. A great way to experience these feelings of love is by receiving or gifting flowers.

We tend to think love occurs solely between romantic partners, but this isn’t true. Humans can experience eight types of love in various relationships, such as with romantic partners, friends, family and even strangers on the street. Understand the type of love you feel (and the catalyst for it) with our descriptions below.

What Is a Love Catalyst?

A catalyst is “an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action.”  A love catalyst is the part of yourself that enhances your experience with a type of love. For example, self-love is catalyzed by the soul and affectionate love is catalyzed by the mind. Therefore, your catalyst is the agent that provokes the feeling of a certain type of love — we dive into this later.

Meet the 8 Different Types of Love

Since all types of love are catalyzed differently, each love affects us uniquely. Just like a bouquet of flowers where each bloom holds a different representation, types of love can have a similar effect. We created eight love characters to represent the types of love found in every relationship. One thing we find amazing is that you can enhance all types of love with the gift of flowers.

Ancient Greeks studied love and denoted each type, giving each one a Greek name. Now it’s time to meet each type of love!

1. Philia — Affectionate Love

Philia type of love is love without romantic attraction and occurs between friends or family members. It occurs when both people share the same values and respect each other — it’s commonly referred to as “brotherly love.”

Love Catalyst: The mind

Your mind articulates which friends are on the same wavelength as you and who you can trust.

How to Show Philia:

Engage in deep conversation with a friend.

Be open and trustworthy.

Be supportive in hard times.

Bonus: Gift a gratitude card to a friend.

2. Pragma — Enduring Love

Pragma is a unique bonded love that matures over many years. It’s an everlasting love between a couple that chooses to put equal effort into their relationship. Commitment and dedication are required to reach “Pragma.” Instead of “falling in love,” you are “standing in love” with the partner you want by your side indefinitely.

Love Catalyst: Etheric (Subconscious)

The subconscious drives partners towards each other. This feeling comes unknowingly and feels purposeful.

How to Show Pragma:

Continue to strengthen the bond of long-term relationships.

Seek and show effort with your partner.

Choose to work with your partner forever.

3. Storge — Familiar Love

Storge is a naturally occurring love rooted in parents and children, as well as best friends. It’s an infinite love built upon acceptance and deep emotional connection. This love comes easily and immediately in parent and child relationships.

Love Catalyst: Causal (Memories)

Your memories encourage long-lasting bonds with another individual. As you create more memories, the value of your relationship increases.

How to Show Storge:

Sacrifice your time, self or personal pleasures.

Quickly forgive harmful actions.

Share memorable and impactful moments.

Bonus: Show how much you care with love words.

4. Eros — Romantic Love

Eros is a primal love that comes as a natural instinct for most people. It’s a passionate love displayed through physical affection. These romantic behaviors include, but are not limited to, kissing, hugging and holding hands. This love is a desire for another person’s physical body.

Love Catalyst: Physical body (Hormones)

Your hormones awaken a fire in your body and must be satiated with romantic actions from an admired partner.

How to Show Eros:

Admiring someone’s physical body.

Physical touch, such as hugging and kissing.

Romantic affection.

Bonus: Steal from our romance ideas.

5. Ludus — Playful Love

Ludus is a child-like and flirtatious love commonly found in the beginning stages of a relationship (a.k.a. the honeymoon stage). This type of love consists of teasing, playful motives and laughter between two people. Although common in young couples, older couples who strive for this love find a more rewarding relationship.

Love Catalyst: Astral (Emotion)

Your emotions allow you to feel giddy, excited, interested and involved with another person.

How to Show Ludus:

Flirt and engage in whimsical conversation.

Spend time together to laugh and have fun.

Exemplify childlike behavior together.

Bonus: Gift a bouquet of roses.

6. Mania — Obsessive Love

Mania is an obsessive love towards a partner. It leads to unwanted jealousy or possessiveness — known as codependency. Most cases of obsessive love are found in couples with an imbalance of love towards each other. An imbalance of Eros and Ludus is the main cause of Mania. With healthy levels of playful and romantic love, the harm of obsessive love can be avoided.

Love Catalyst: Survival instinct

Survival instinct drives a person to desperately need their partner in order to find a sense of self-value.

How to Avoid Mania:

Recognize obsessive or possessive behavior before acting upon it.

Focus on yourself more versus another person.

Put trust into your relationships.

7. Philautia — Self Love

Philautia is a healthy form of love where you recognize your self-worth and don’t ignore your personal needs. Self-love begins with acknowledging your responsibility for your well-being. It’s challenging to exemplify the outbound types of love because you can’t offer what you don’t have.

Love Catalyst: Soul

Your soul allows you to reflect on your necessary needs and physical, emotional and mental health.

How to Show Philautia:

Create an environment that nurtures your well-being.

Take care of yourself like a parent would care for a child.

Spend time around people who support you.

Bonus: Use flowers to boost your mood.

8. Agape — Selfless Love

Agape is the highest level of love to offer. It’s given without any expectations of receiving anything in return. Offering Agape is a decision to spread love in any circumstances — including destructive situations. Agape is not a physical act, it’s a feeling, but acts of self-love can elicit Agape since self-monitoring leads to results.

Love Catalyst: Spirit

Your spirit creates purpose bigger than yourself. It motivates you to pass kindness on to others.

How to Show Agape:

Dedicate your life to improving the lives of others.

Stay conscious of your actions for the good of humankind.

Offer your time and charity to someone in need.

Bonus: Start a random acts of kindness calendar.

The Perfect Combo for You

Like a bouquet, utilizing a combination of different types of love can create something beautiful that leaves a lasting impression. Blossom your connections with the best combination of love. Though there isn’t a perfect equation for every relationship, these combinations can provide a perspective on how to work various types of love into your relationships. After all, a happy heart is a healthy heart. Take a look at our recommended combinations below. Be conscious of the different love catalysts to help you feel the different types of love.

8 different types of love

Love is in the air and now you know the perfect ways to express it. We hope that sharing affection brings you love in return! They say what comes around goes around, so why not gift some gorgeous flowers or a bouquet with your expression of love? Happy loving!

BE THANKFUL UNTO GOD AND BLESS HIS NAME

BE THANKFUL UNTO GOD AND BLESS HIS NAME

(Exposition of Psalm 100)

It is with good reason that many sing this psalm very frequently in their religious assemblies, for it is very proper both to express and to excite pious and devout affections towards God in our approach to him in holy ordinances and, if our hearts go along with the words, we shall make melody in it to the Lord. The Jews say it was penned to be sung with their thank-offerings perhaps it was but we say that as there is nothing in it peculiar to their economy so its beginning with a call to all lands to praise God plainly extends it to the gospel-church. Here, I. We are called upon to praise God and rejoice in him, Psalms 100:1,2,4. II. We are furnished with matter for praise we must praise him, considering his being and relation to us (Psalms 100:3) and his mercy and truth, Psalms 100:5. These are plain and common things, and therefore the more fit to be the matter of devotion.

Importunate Exhortations to Praise God Motives for Praising God. A psalm of praise 

1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands 

2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing 

3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture 

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name 

5 For the LORD is good his mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations. 

Here, I. The exhortations to praise are very importunate. The psalm does indeed answer to the title, A psalm of praise it begins with that call which of late we have several times met with (Psalms 100:1), Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all you lands, or all the earth, all the inhabitants of the earth. When all nations shall be discipled, and the gospel preached to every creature, then this summons will be fully answered to. But, if we take the foregoing psalm to be (as we have opened it) a call to the Jewish church to rejoice in the administration of God's kingdom, which they were under (as the four psalms before it were calculated for the days of the Messiah), this psalm, perhaps, was intended for proselytes, that came over out of all lands to the Jews' religion. However, we have here, 1. A strong invitation to worship God not that God needs us, or any thing we have or can do, but it is his will that we should serve the Lord, should devote ourselves to his service and employ ourselves in it and that we should not only serve him in all instances of obedience to his law, but that we should come before his presence in the ordinances which he has appointed and in which he has promised to manifest himself (Psalms 100:2), that we should enter into his gates and into his courts (Psalms 100:4), that we should attend upon him among his servants, and keep there where he keeps court. In all acts of religious worship, whether in secret or in our families, we come into God's presence, and serve him but it is in public worship especially that we enter into his gates and into his courts. The people were not permitted to enter into the holy place there the priests only went in to minister. But let the people be thankful for their place in the courts of God's house, to which they were admitted and where they gave their attendance 2. Great encouragement given us, in worshipping God, to do it cheerfully (Psalms 100:2): Serve the Lord with gladness. This intimates a prediction that in gospel-times there should be special occasion for joy and it prescribes this as a rule of worship: Let God be served with gladness. By holy joy we do really serve God it is an honour to him to rejoice in him and we ought to serve him with holy joy. Gospel-worshippers should be joyful worshippers if we serve God in uprightness, let us serve him with gladness. We must be willing and forward to it, glad when we are called to go up to the house of the Lord (Psalms 122:1), looking upon it as the comfort of our lives to have communion with God and we must be pleasant and cheerful in it, must say, It is good to be here, approaching to God, in every duty, as to God our exceeding Joy, Psalms 43:4. We must come before his presence with singing, not only songs of joy, but songs of praise. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, Psalms 100:4. We must not only comfort ourselves, but glorify God, with our joy, and let him have the praise of that which we have the pleasure of. Be thankful to him and bless his name that is, 

(1) We must take it as a favour to be admitted into his service, and give him thanks that we have liberty of access to him, that we have ordinances instituted and opportunity continued of waiting upon God in those ordinances 

(2) We must intermix praise and thanksgiving with all our services. This golden thread must run through every duty (Hebrews 13:15), for it is the work of angels. In every thing give thanks, in every ordinance, as well as in every providence. 

II. The matter of praise, and motives to it, are very important, Psalms 100:3,5. Know you what God is in himself and what he is to you. Note, Knowledge is the mother of devotion and of all obedience: blind sacrifices will never please a seeing God "Know it consider and apply it, and then you will be more close and constant, more inward and serious, in the worship of him" Let us know then these seven things concerning the Lord Jehovah, with whom we have to do in all the acts of religious worship:-- 

1. That the Lord he is God, the only living and true God--that he is a Being infinitely perfect, self-existent, and self-sufficient, and the fountain of all being he is God, and not a man as we are. He is an eternal Spirit, incomprehensible and independent, the first cause and last end. The heathen worshipped the creature of their own fancy the workmen made it, therefore it is not God. We worship him that made us and all the world he is God, and all other pretended deities are vanity and a lie, and such as he has triumphed over 

2. That he is our Creator: It is he that has made us, and not we ourselves. I find that I am, but cannot say, I am that I am, and therefore must ask, Whence am I? Who made me? Where is God my Maker? And it is the Lord Jehovah. He gave us being, he gave us this being he is both the former of our bodies and the Father of our spirits. We did not, we could not, make ourselves. It is God's prerogative to be his own cause our being is derived and depending 

3. That therefore he is our rightful owner. The Masorites, by altering one letter in the Hebrew, read it, He made us, and his we are, or to him we belong. Put both the readings together, and we learn that because God made us, and not we ourselves, therefore we are not our own, but his. He has an incontestable right to, and property in, us and all things. His we are, to be actuated by his power, disposed of by his will, and devoted to his honour and glory 

4. That he is our sovereign ruler: We are his people or subjects, and he is our prince, our rector or governor, that gives law to us as moral agents, and will call us to an account for what we do. The Lord is our judge the Lord is our lawgiver. We are not at liberty to do what we will, but must always make conscience of doing as we are bidden 

5. That he is our bountiful benefactor. We are not only his sheep, whom he is entitled to, but the sheep of his pasture, whom he takes care of the flock of his feeding (so it may be read) therefore the sheep of his hand at his disposal because the sheep of his pasture, Psalms 95:7. He that made us maintains us, and gives us all good things richly to enjoy 

6. That he is a God of infinite mercy and goodness (Psalms 100:5): The Lord is good, and therefore does good his mercy is everlasting it is a fountain that can never be drawn dry. The saints, who are now the sanctified vessels of mercy, will be, to eternity, the glorified monuments of mercy 

7. That he is a God of inviolable truth and faithfulness: His truth endures to all generations, and no word of his shall fall to the ground as antiquated or revoked. The promise is sure to all the seed, from age to age.