Agape love is universal loving kindness; agape love is empathy; agape love is charity, it is pure and most ideal; it is unconditional love unconcerned with self—without self-benefit. The giver gains nothing by giving it and may seem to be losing, but is actually gaining a love treasure in the Afterlife. All love contributes to this treasure. Agape is the love that He meant when He said, “When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” It is the most radical love of saints who are heroes of loving compassion like Theresa of Calcutta, and Father Damien of Molokai. Agape is purest love because it is the love of God for all humanity, for you personally, and it is our deepest, most inner love for God, that comes from God, and is God, and creates our very being. This love is where our true name lives. All love touches God because God is Love, but agape love is the love of inner ecstasy, and often--outer suffering. 

We need not go to extremes of love or suffering, but we can live with a level of loving kindness, of self-less giving. When you give to charity, in time, goods or money, and expect nothing more than a tax write-off, or no write-off at all, then that is agape. In Latin, the Greek word agape is translated as charitas, which means the love of God, which we translate as charity. Selfless giving is giving to God.

Let’s Pray: Dear God, help me give. Amen.

Here’s a Thought: Agape today.

Sources:

Matthew 6:3 (NIV) “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing…”

1 John 4:8 (NIV) Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Mewithoutyou Lyrics, “Every Thought of You”, from their album, "It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright" (2009), AZLyrics

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/mewithoutyou/everythoughtathoughtofyou.html

The 8 Greek Words for Love and Their Meaninghttp://www.iamnotthebabysitter.com/words-for-love/

The Six Types of Love

http://www.intropsych.com/ch16_sfl/six_types_of_love.html

got Question?org

http://www.gotquestions.org/agape-love.html

Study Blue, The Styles of Love

https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/styles-of-love-/deck/8202165

Wikipedia: Agape

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape

The Green Book, Understanding Love the Ancient Greeks Way

http://thegreenbookglobal.com/february-phases-love-face-greeks/

Latin Dictionary

http://www.latin-dictionary.org/charitas

Evolution Pie, The ancient Greeks were sophisticated in the way they talked about love, recognizing six different varieties.

http://evolutionpie.com/post/72348010203/how-do-i-love-you-let-me-count-the-ancient-greek

Krznaric, Roman: “The Ancient Greeks’ 6 Words for Love (And Why Knowing Them Can Change Your Life).” Yes! Magazine. Posted Dec 27, 2013. This article originally appeared in Sojourners. http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/the-ancient-greeks-6-words-for-love-and-why-knowing-them-can-change-your-lifehttp://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/the-ancient-greeks-6-words-for-love-and-why-knowing-them-can-change-your-life