1 Corinthians 13.....the well known chapter that speaks about love. When this chapter speaks of love, Paul (the author), is referring to the agape love....the selfless love. In our English language love is a word we use it to mean many things. We may love pizza, and of course, that is a different love from the love we have for our family. Or we may say we loved a certain movie. These are just a few examples of how often we use the word love, but the Biblical love is much, much deeper. I usually read KJV, but I'm using the Message today as it kind of rewords without me having to explain.
1 Corinthians 13:"1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
11When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love."
It's so easy to think of others and whether someone is sincerely loving us in this manner. Don't be discouraged if you have trouble thinking of someone that loves you unconditionally. Remember there is ONE that does love you NO MATTER WHAT! John 3:16 says that "God so LOVED the world (you & me) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever(that's us!) believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life." He loved us before we were born. He loved us when we were sinners. He loves us on our worst days. He restores us. He encourages us in His Word. The Bible is a love letter to us. God does not point out all of our faults & call us a failure. He points out our sins, so that we may change and become holy. He forgives all sins. He's on call 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week. God is patient. He wants the best for us. He gave us talents & ablities, and only wants us to nurture and grow. It is true that God is jealous. I used to not understand this, because we think jealousy is a sin. But, God's jealousy is because He is our creator and provider....the giver of life and all things good.
It's easy to love when the love is reciprocal. When two people are giving to the relationship, it is so easy to love. Love is most difficult when one person is giving and the other person is not. There could be many reasons why someone does not show love. The attitude of most people that I see & hear would tell you to just give up and move on. They will say that it's not worth your time & energy to love someone that does not properly show you love back. If I'm really a Christ follower---His disciple, then I will choose to obey God. 1 John is an absolute wonderful book that speaks in more detail on the love of God!! I John 3:20 "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" It is easy to say we love God when it doesn't cost us anything more than weekly attendance at church. The real test of love for God is how we treat the people right in front of us--our family members and even other believers--because, after all, we are in the "family of God". We cannot truly love God while neglecting to love those who are created in His image.
I am examining myself today and if you, my friend, are reading this, I challenge you too, to examine yourself to see if you really are loving others unconditionally. It is NOT easy. We definitely can not do it on our own. I know of some very good people that are not Christ followers, and they can not possibly give God's love. God's love is not in them. God's love is in me, because I accepted Him into my life and His Holy Spirit dwells within me......so I should daily walk in obedience to Him and ask Him to help me love the unlovable....the one's that don't love me back, the one's that don't love me the way I think they should. If someone close to you---a friend or family member has very little to do with you, or they say or do hurtful things to you, I know the deep desire is to move on and try to forget that person. We think our life is much more peaceful without that person that caused us to hurt. But, I know there is a hole in your heart when you love a person and they seem to have shut you out. I encourage you to reach out and show them God's love. We do not know what is going on with another person and why they act the way they do. Send cards, write letters, call, send appropriate gifts that show you care. If you can financially afford it, be generous with your money. It's not your money anyhow---everything we have is from God. Use your money, your time, your words for God's glory. God is a healer of broken hearts and broken relationships. Speak words of kindness, and pray for God to help you guard your tongue to say hurtful words in return. Pour out prayer on all those you love. We all are going through our own battles. You may think this is not worth your time, but remember that Jesus felt we were worth it. Love people and see them the way God does. Each of us was worth dying for.
Heavenly Father, I am so grateful to have your love. Your unconditional love. I can not imagine not having your unconditional love. When I feel so unworthy, You lift me up and remind me that You value me. I am so blessed and I need You every moment, every day to guide my decisions and help me to be the person You created me to be. Forgive me Lord, when I have purposed to not show love to certain people because they have hurt me. I remember when Jesus was dying on the cross for my sins and He asked for You, the Father, to forgive the people because they did not know what they were doing. Lord, take away my selfish thoughts and create in me a clean heart that is full of God's love. There is so much going on in this world that hurts me to think about and I can only imagine how much it hurts You. Thank You again for Your Word. Thank You for the great encouragers in my life and I ask that You use me to be an encouragement to others. I give You all the glory and praise! In Jesus' precious name, AMEN!
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