Love

Scripture~
1 Corinthians 13:8
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

1Corinthians 13:1&2
1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.…

Cross References

Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
Matthew 22:39
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

 

Observation~

Love is important, the most important command, there are many, many, many scriptures that focus on love. These are the ones that stood out to me because, as stated, without love we can do nothing. Sometimes it is hard to like people but we can and should always love them no matter what. When  we step back and look at a whole situation is when we can see how we can better love the people we come across in life. Also I noticed while looking at the Ten Commandments, that if you apply love to each and everyone it makes it easier to meet those expectations.

Will we always get it right?  No, not at all we will make mistakes, but God loved us first so that he could show us how to better love others. 

 

Application~

When I am feeling angry at another human, I must always remember that anger is not a feeling, anger is a reaction to the feeling of hurt or fear. Then ask myself, why am I hurt or why am I afraid. I am hurt because I think you don't love me, because you said something that in turn caused me to feel inadequate. Well, then I need to remember all the times I have said and done things that have hurt others, and that hurt God because I was not being a good steward of his love. Then remember that God LOVED me so much that he forgave me, that he waited for me, that he reached for me and made me new, righteous and victorious. He did all of that in love and I should be able to love those I feel have wronged me, after all God showed me how first. How do I love those that I may not like? First I go to God and I pray for them, and I pray for my heart and I ask God to reveal things to me that maybe in my flesh I had not thought of. It is said that we find peace in God and I know that when I am not loving others I am not at peace so therefore, I am not seeking God. So in short I will pray to God for peace in my heart and to love others as he first loved me, that even if I am hurt I can turn the other cheek and love. That is also another way for me to become a more accurate reflection of who God is, and if I truly want everyone to see God in me I need to love better!

 

Prayer~

Dear God, I come to you and I ask you to reveal to me when I am not loving as I should be, Father I do want people to see you in me and sometimes I fail because I get hung up on my own wants and needs and because I am at times unable to see past myself. I ask you God to please help me love better and put peace in my heart when I am angry as it should be, so that I can see past myself and begin to love others more like you love me.

~Amen