L-O-V-E

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

                                                                                                    - 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 (ESV)

When I was younger, I thought love is only an emotion, a feeling of fondness. So it’s either you love someone or not. It took me a long time to realize and understand that love is more than what you feel; it is not merely a soft spot for a person. Love, more than anything, is an action you do; an act you choose to make whether the receiver deserves it or not.

There is no other best example of love other than the love of our Heavenly Father. He could have punished us for every sin we commit but He doesn’t. He could have only blessed those who love Him in return and follow Him but He doesn’t work that way. In Matthew 5:45, Jesus said, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” He could have wiped out all humanity for continuous rebellion on Him but instead, He gave us a way to be saved in the form of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as written in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

God’s love is incomparable. It is incredible. It is wonderful. And He wants us to love others the same way. In John 13:34, Jesus commands us, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

But first, let me acknowledge that loving others as Jesus loves us is way easier said than done. Loving others, especially those who give you pain or you don’t like, is very difficult. Honestly, even our so-called loved ones can be hard to love all the time.

When J and I have disagreements, there are times (a lot of times, actually) that I say or do something not borne out of love. When George is being difficult to handle, there are times that I have been harsh in my treatment of her. My feelings for them are not enough for me to constantly show love to them.

Our own strength and determination will definitely fail us. That is why we should always keep in mind God’s unconditional and grace-filled love for us. Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” His love will help us love others as He does. So pray for His Holy Spirit to fill you during those times that you find it difficult to show love to others.

This love month, I will be starting a mini-blog post series about the way we should love others. I will be using 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 as my guide. Disclaimer, I won’t be writing about all the points given in those passages but will only be choosing four which I will be posting in the coming 4 weeks of the month of February.

I hope you can join me in this journey of reflection and of course, action.

Happy Love Month everyone! Let’s spread love not only this month but every day of our lives.

Yours,

Lady