The Greatest of these is love.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Why is love such a big deal?

Because love is what makes us who we are as Christians.  It is the reason the Christian church is called to reach out to a hurting community.  We were saved because God loved us, and we are called to show that love to others in return.

There are many secular organisations that are better equipped to feed the hungry, so why are we called to do it?  Because we are showing His love when we do it.

There are many people who will help others, but we do it because we are called to love them as well.

We are called to love, because we were first loved.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.
(Romans 13:8-10)

Our love is what sets us apart from the world, and what makes us more like God.  Because He is love, if we have love for each other, we show God’s love to those around us, and become it as well.

Love is…

 

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)

It does not say that God loves, or God is loving. It says that God IS LOVE.  It is his nature, one of his key attributes.

We spoke the other day about the Fruit of the Spirit being our attempt to take on the nature/attributes of God.  Well, this one seems to be the biggie.

 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

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

 

I read somewhere that a useful (and scary) test is to try and replace the word “love” with your own name, and see how you make out.

• Sharkbait is patient.
• Sharkbait is kind.
• Sharkbait does not envy.
• Sharkbait does not boast.
• Sharkbait is proud.
• Sharkbait is not rude.
• Sharkbait is not self-seeking.
• Sharkbait is not easily angered.
• Sharkbait does not keep a record of wrongs.
• Sharkbait does not delight in evil.
• Sharkbait rejoices in the truth.
• Sharkbait always protects.
• Sharkbait always trusts.
• Sharkbait always hopes.
• Sharkbait perseveres.

 

So, how well did you do?

Day 30 - Unity

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
(1 Corinthians 1:10)

Oooh.  Tough one!

‘that all of you agree with one another.’  Yeah, well that would be a lot easier if you all agreed with me you know, because I am always right. 

So how are we supposed to achieve this the?

I think the key is in “that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”  To me, this means that we need to actively seek to have the mind of Christ, so that we can be sure we are all in one accord.

And to do this, we need to be immersing ourselves in the word, and praying for the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to what it has to say to us.  That way, we can all be of one mind – the mind of Christ, and ensure there are no divisions.

Simple.  But not easy.

So I am off to start right now.  Care to join me?

Day 18 - Reliability

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:2)

Can I be trusted?  Completely?

It is a hard spirit to develop, because we cannot develop it until we are faced with the temptation not to be faithful.  And we see every day how people fail when tested.  The news is full of it.

But it all starts with the little things.

It’s easier to avoid the temptation to cheat on your taxes, or your spouse, if you make sure you never cheat at cards.

It’s easier to never steal money from your work if you make sure you never steal paperclips.

It’s easier to always obey the law if you’ve never gone through a red robot.

 

So today, I will start at the bottom, and work my way up.

Day 14: Compassion

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance." (Luke 8:1-3)

I think we all know how this story ends: Jesus takes loaves and fishes, and feeds the multitude.

But it all started with a spirit of…

COMPASSION

With some love in action, Jesus showed where his heart was.  Yesterday we asked GOD to give us hearts for others, and to break them when his heart is breaking.  Now today we need to pray for compassion.  Compassion goes beyond feeling for others, to actually doing for them.

It’s not just love, it’s love with skin on it.

What can I do for others today?  Where can I show compassion?

 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
(1 Corinthians 13:1)