What's Love Got To Do With It?

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I thought I would start my new venture into blogging by sharing what God has been impressing upon me lately. I recently shared with my wife my own take on the opening to the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians. That's a book in the bible for those who aren't familiar with it and it's considered the "love chapter". It's often quoted in Christian weddings. Anyway, here's what I came up with:

"Though I go to church every Sunday, but have not love on Monday, it's just religious pageantry. Though I read the bible every morning, memorize scripture, fast regularly and tithe consistently, but have not love, I gain nothing. Though I have all knowledge and I am right about every doctrine, but have not love, I am nothing."

I am learning through personal experience that many of my struggles are really issues of love. When you passionately love someone, you love them every day, not just one day of the week. When you passionately love someone, getting up early to spend time with them is not a duty, it's a joy. When you passionately love someone, you'll gladly spend your last penny on them. When you passionately love someone, you care more about your relationship than about winning an argument or being right.

This is why Jesus' question to Simon Peter is so important.

"Simon son of John, do you love me?" (John 21:17)

It is not by my beliefs, my doctrines, my creeds that others will know I am a follower of Jesus Christ. It is by my tangible and sincere love for Jesus and for others (John 13:35). Love is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-40). And God is love (1 John 4:8).

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

So I close my first blog by coming back to 1 Corinthians 13.

"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Comments

  1. JMSAugust 21, 2013 at 9:29 AM

    One day our faith will be unnecessary and our hope will be fulfilled. But love, love will last forever. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AlexAugust 21, 2013 at 3:45 PM

    This is wonderful. And your take on it in the second paragraph really hit home for me. Excellent post! Can't wait to read more!

    ReplyDelete

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