Love...

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
1 Corinthians 13 4-7







What does love mean or look like to you?  This well-known chapter by Paul on love tells us.... The Corinthian church was emphasizing a good thing, spiritual gifts, to the neglect of the best. They were using their gifts apart from love. Paul makes the point that the use of their God-given gifts would amount to nothing if the Corinthians did not make love their priority.  
Selfless love is the priority for every Christian.  Using spiritual gifts without love is empty and meaningless.  Maybe you are using them at all.  We are not serving in God's full grace if we do what we think we should be doing or not doing.  Love is humble and selfless.  Acts done in love just happen, just because!  A lot of the times there is no explanation.  Nowadays....our brothers and sisters are surprised when something nice is done for them.  With no agenda or motivate, there's seems to be more often than not, a look of confusion or disbelief border-lining fear of expectation.  Why? And how this beautiful gift of LOVE could have gotten so....so uncomfortable?  I'm sure that is even the correct word.  The sadness I feel is overwhelming.  Helping one another or not letting another help us because of a payoff really does……get under my skin. UGH!!!  I gave someone a quarter the other day for 20 pennies and you would have thought I gave them the world.  In other words they could not believe that I was giving them more than they asked. Why is this happening?  God doesn’t want this for His kingdom.  What I am trying to say is do something nice for someone. A random person, the girl/guy at the drive-thru, a cashier, maybe  a co-worker, your spouse/significant other…..and not just for someone that is asking for a favor or whatever but for someone that you hear God telling you to do to.  Pay attention and Listen very closely God will speak Love into your heart. 

♥Love is selfless, humble, pure, slow to anger and patient.

Jonathon Edwards wrote   “The devils and damned spirits see much of their comparative littleness before God in some respects. They know that God is infinitely above them in power, and knowledge, and majesty. And yet, not knowing and feeling his loveliness and excellence, their wills and dispositions by no means comply with and conform to what is becoming their meanness, and so they have no humility, but are full of pride.” 




Father, open our hearts and ears so that we can hear You.  Help those of us that have trouble hearing You. We speak love into each others hearts and lives.  And proclaim blessing over each other, young and old, fortunate and less fortunate, to be more Christlike.  Through Your love and our knowing that we all apart of Your kingdom, we will lift our brothers and sisters up, in Jesus' name. Amen