Tag: Valentine’sDay

Love Pt. II

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Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal…  4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up… 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13, in part; KJV)

I call it The Love Chapter. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us how love behaves, what it is and what it isn’t, what it does and does not do. In essence, it tells us who Jesus is – the One who loves perfectly. Greatly.

I used to publish a little Christian magazine called PRAISE!. Each edition contained poetry, prose, all things inspirational, all meant to bring praise to God. I loved that little book and was so proud of it. My editor’s page was titled The Greatest of These. It was dedicated to love, because love is the center of all. Love had to be at the center of praise.

And love remains. It teaches and corrects, saves and helps, is humble and not boastful. It knows when to speak, what to say, and how to say it. IT IS LIFE’S GUIDE. Love is because God is. It saved my very soul while I was yet a sinner. It gives me joy unspeakable each and every new day.

Do I love perfectly? No. But I am perfectly loved, by Love Himself. He’s just awesome, our awesome God. No greater love than this, than a man would lay down his life for a friend. That’s what Jesus did. And that’s love.

xoxo

Love Pt. I

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February. A celebration of a history, a culmination (hopefully) of winter’s long season, and college basketball. The shortest month of the year with, for some, the busiest schedules and the longest lists of “to do.”

Then there’s the 14th, the day of Cupid’s arrow, hearts, flowers and chocolates. The day we put love on display in all its fabulous reds and pinks and, well, chocolates.

Canva Design
Canva Design

But in all our efforts to make love shine, nothing compares to the greatest love story ever – between God and His people. His people = you and me!

John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (‭KJV) To me, this says God loved me so much that He gave of Himself. Jesus gave His very life so that you and I could know of true life, set free of sin. Now what box of chocolate is going to do that!

Bible pic

But we aren’t born knowing of and realizing God’s love for us. The journey of love generally is one long traveled, I would say! Sure, we soon realize that something we feel from mommy and daddy, but the path to love is truly a discovery.

In one of her devotionals, Bible teacher and speaker Joyce Meyer describes love’s journey in God this way: Living in God’s true love is a process. First, God loves us, and by faith, we receive His love. We then love ourselves in a balanced way, give love back to God, and learn to love other people. (Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life – A Daily Devotional)

God’s love is perfect. It is true, it is deep, it is pure and it is sure. It doesn’t change, and it’s not based on us. He chooses to love. And once we get to that realization, my oh my… Happy is the heart.

More on love next week, but in the meantime, check out John 3:16 again, and share in the comments below what God’s love has meant to you.

xoxo.