“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous;
love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly;
it does not seek its own, is not provoked,
does not take into account a wrong suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
God’s amazing love for us at the cross provides both the example and the power for us to love others. Love is a choice which separates Christians from the world. Love is the correct motivator of the Law. Without love, whatever we do will be meaningless.
Joshua Harris in his book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, says that “God’s amazing love for us at the cross provides both the example and the power for us to love others.” We, as Christians, are to be imitators of Christ and therefore strive to love each other as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. “Even to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) THIS is love! Christ exhibited perfect love for us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ dies for us.” (Romans 5:8) “Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. To lay down our desires and do what’s best in his or her interest. To care for him or her even when there’s nothing in it for us; to want that person’s purity and holiness because it pleases God and protects him or her.” This talks about how a relationship between a two individuals should not be about ‘what can satisfy my desires’ but ‘how can I serve the other person as best as I can?’ Any relationship whether a boy and a girl, a friendship, or even someone you don’t know or like should be characterized with a self-sacrificing love.
Love is a choice which separates Christians from the world. C. S. Lewis says that in order to love someone you don’t have to necessarily like them. Love is a choice, not a feeling. Every day we chose to wake up or hit the snooze button, be cheerful or temperamental, be diligent or be lazy; love is the same way. We can either choose to love someone or choose to ignore them. Love is what should characterize Christians, but often we don’t look much different then the world. Yes, we might not drink as much, have sex outside of marriage, and do drugs, or cuss, but how else are we different? John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Love is what should separate us from the world. Love is what should motivate our entire lives. We may be persecuted for not going with the crowd or befriending an outcast, but the trials we go through on earth are nothing compared to the glory we will receive in Heaven.
Love is the correct motivator of the Law. Every commandment that you obey should be done out of love. In fact, every law can be made positive and related to love:
1. I am the LORD thy God you shall have no other Gods before me. The first commandment is directed towards realizing who God is and what he’s done; this should cause you to love him. 2. You shall worship God’s name alone. The second commandment commands us to worship God alone for he is the one, true God and is worthy of our praise and worship. 3. You shall use Gods name with honor and respect for he is holy. This commandment requires that we treat God’s name with respect for it describes a holy and majestic God and we should treat it as such. 4. Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy. We should honor God with our time and the Sabbath day is set aside for that purpose although we should set aside our other activities each day to spend time with him. 5. Honor your father and mother. We are commanded to honor our parents and treat them with love and respect. 6. Love your neighbor and look out for his well being. 7. Honor thy neighbor and his wife’s relationship and do not jeopardize your own by coveting. 8. Try as best as you can to enhance your neighbors well being materially. 9. Seek to maintain your neighbor’s good reputation. 10. Appreciate and be thankful for what you have. The previous five commandments focus on our neighbors well being and our contentment with our own situation. We are to look out for our neighbor as we look out for our self. Every commandment ties into loving one another. The summary of these commandments are: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22: 37-39)
Without love, whatever we do will be meaningless. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” We are nothing without love. If, while we are witnessing, we do not have love, those who hear us will not be won over. They will hear just an annoying noise telling them of how stupid and sinful they are. But, if they hear us speaking with love, we will catch their interest and make them realize that something in their life is missing and they will want what we have. If we sacrifice ourselves but do not have love, it means nothing. It’s only a sacrifice if we do it to serve others not ourselves. We could sacrifice ourselves out of pride so that others would see how “holy” we are, but it means nothing outside of love. Same with helping the poor, if we give to the poor not out of love but to have others respect and admire you then it is nothing and means nothing. If we follow the commandments but do not have love, it means nothing. It will not bring honor to God because he is not glorified through his people simply “going through the motions.”
Love is a powerful instrument. With it, God saved us from our sin and with it we are marked as Christians, and with it we correctly follow the law, and without it everything we do will be meaningless. Love will always remain. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Faith and hope will not last forever because there will be no need for them in Heaven. There will be no need for Faith when we are in the presence of God and will see him face to face. There will be no need for hope when what we’ve hoped for is staring us in the face and we are complete. But love unlike faith and hope will last forever. Love will continue on in Heaven and will perhaps be even greater then on earth because we will finally see the God who taught us to love and who loved us so perfectly. That is why love is the greatest of them all because our Heavenly Father himself exhibits it for us. God has no need for faith and hope because it is he we have faith and hope in.
love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly;
it does not seek its own, is not provoked,
does not take into account a wrong suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
God’s amazing love for us at the cross provides both the example and the power for us to love others. Love is a choice which separates Christians from the world. Love is the correct motivator of the Law. Without love, whatever we do will be meaningless.
Joshua Harris in his book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, says that “God’s amazing love for us at the cross provides both the example and the power for us to love others.” We, as Christians, are to be imitators of Christ and therefore strive to love each other as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. “Even to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) THIS is love! Christ exhibited perfect love for us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ dies for us.” (Romans 5:8) “Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. To lay down our desires and do what’s best in his or her interest. To care for him or her even when there’s nothing in it for us; to want that person’s purity and holiness because it pleases God and protects him or her.” This talks about how a relationship between a two individuals should not be about ‘what can satisfy my desires’ but ‘how can I serve the other person as best as I can?’ Any relationship whether a boy and a girl, a friendship, or even someone you don’t know or like should be characterized with a self-sacrificing love.
Love is a choice which separates Christians from the world. C. S. Lewis says that in order to love someone you don’t have to necessarily like them. Love is a choice, not a feeling. Every day we chose to wake up or hit the snooze button, be cheerful or temperamental, be diligent or be lazy; love is the same way. We can either choose to love someone or choose to ignore them. Love is what should characterize Christians, but often we don’t look much different then the world. Yes, we might not drink as much, have sex outside of marriage, and do drugs, or cuss, but how else are we different? John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Love is what should separate us from the world. Love is what should motivate our entire lives. We may be persecuted for not going with the crowd or befriending an outcast, but the trials we go through on earth are nothing compared to the glory we will receive in Heaven.
Love is the correct motivator of the Law. Every commandment that you obey should be done out of love. In fact, every law can be made positive and related to love:
1. I am the LORD thy God you shall have no other Gods before me. The first commandment is directed towards realizing who God is and what he’s done; this should cause you to love him. 2. You shall worship God’s name alone. The second commandment commands us to worship God alone for he is the one, true God and is worthy of our praise and worship. 3. You shall use Gods name with honor and respect for he is holy. This commandment requires that we treat God’s name with respect for it describes a holy and majestic God and we should treat it as such. 4. Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy. We should honor God with our time and the Sabbath day is set aside for that purpose although we should set aside our other activities each day to spend time with him. 5. Honor your father and mother. We are commanded to honor our parents and treat them with love and respect. 6. Love your neighbor and look out for his well being. 7. Honor thy neighbor and his wife’s relationship and do not jeopardize your own by coveting. 8. Try as best as you can to enhance your neighbors well being materially. 9. Seek to maintain your neighbor’s good reputation. 10. Appreciate and be thankful for what you have. The previous five commandments focus on our neighbors well being and our contentment with our own situation. We are to look out for our neighbor as we look out for our self. Every commandment ties into loving one another. The summary of these commandments are: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22: 37-39)
Without love, whatever we do will be meaningless. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” We are nothing without love. If, while we are witnessing, we do not have love, those who hear us will not be won over. They will hear just an annoying noise telling them of how stupid and sinful they are. But, if they hear us speaking with love, we will catch their interest and make them realize that something in their life is missing and they will want what we have. If we sacrifice ourselves but do not have love, it means nothing. It’s only a sacrifice if we do it to serve others not ourselves. We could sacrifice ourselves out of pride so that others would see how “holy” we are, but it means nothing outside of love. Same with helping the poor, if we give to the poor not out of love but to have others respect and admire you then it is nothing and means nothing. If we follow the commandments but do not have love, it means nothing. It will not bring honor to God because he is not glorified through his people simply “going through the motions.”
Love is a powerful instrument. With it, God saved us from our sin and with it we are marked as Christians, and with it we correctly follow the law, and without it everything we do will be meaningless. Love will always remain. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Faith and hope will not last forever because there will be no need for them in Heaven. There will be no need for Faith when we are in the presence of God and will see him face to face. There will be no need for hope when what we’ve hoped for is staring us in the face and we are complete. But love unlike faith and hope will last forever. Love will continue on in Heaven and will perhaps be even greater then on earth because we will finally see the God who taught us to love and who loved us so perfectly. That is why love is the greatest of them all because our Heavenly Father himself exhibits it for us. God has no need for faith and hope because it is he we have faith and hope in.
Hannah..... Your a beast..... In a very feminine kind of way. Lol ;)
ReplyDeletehaha thanks :)
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