The Lord takes me through seasons of lessons. The season that He has me camped out in right now is that of learning to love - to love Him, to love my neighbor. It's been a long lesson, a hard lesson, and a life-changing lesson - one that I wouldn't have wanted to be absent for. This kind of lesson requires time in the laboratory of life for hands-on experiments. I'm learning that loving has very little to do with words on paper and very much to do with living out my beliefs. If I say that I love Him, that I love my neighbors, I'm learning that my actions, my life has to back up the words or it's really not love.
In an effort to learn my lesson of love, I'm studying the textbook on love - the Word of God. Specifically, I've been putting to memory the passage of I Corinthians 13. As I was going over the verses again this morning, my eyes fell on a pencil notation that I had written in some time ago over these verses. The words once again spoke to my spirit as a valuable piece of wisdom and truth to remind myself of over and over and over:
Love in regard to others is a command, not an emotion. It is the disciplined will to seek the welfare of others.
Oh, Lord, may others see and hear and feel Your love through me. Don't stop, Lord - grow this love so that it consumes all of my life, all of my relationships, all of my motives, all of me.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
-- I Corinthians 13
2 comments:
This has been a big thing for me also. I memorized this passage earlier this year. Words are so much easier than actions and unfortunately I have been guilty many times of the one without the other. May He continue to lead us both on this journey. Have a blessed day.
HI!
First I will share with you how I got here. I was playing push the "next blog" arrow ( the one on near to the searching option on the top of the page) for curiously to see what is going to come up!!! ( No, I’m not a kid.)
Then, after clicking the “next blog” bottom for the third time, I was almost feeling the dumbest person in the world when I found your blog! Not dumb at all!
I fell in love for your farm. I saw a few pictures and I wondered who was the lucky person leaving in a such beautiful place. So, I started looking the pictures, the posters and suddenly I figured out that you are a blessed Christian woman.
Well, passing my eyes through the page I was kept by the post that talks about the book: ”Kisses from Katie". I don't know why, but now I feel now that was not a dumb joke at all, maybe I was lead to your blog, because I was talking to God and searching for answers and I feel compelled to read the cited book and to know you a bit more. :)
Just let you know that I was here :):)
GAbi
My email: gabizinha_2001@hotmail.com
Post a Comment