If I speak human or angelic languages but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited, 5 does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (HCSB)
I have been meditating on this Scripture this weekend. I wrote a blog yesterday as I considered love and marriage. But today I am considering more personal questions. I believe it is the Holy Spirit asking me to honestly examine how well I love.
Do I have God’s love? 1 Corinthians 13 is arguably one of the most beautiful passages of prose in the Bible. I can hear Paul’s emotion as he shares what he has learned about having God’s love in his heart. I suspect he might have wept as he remembers the transformation his heart has undergone. When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, He came into my life and brought His love. I too experienced an extraordinary heart transformation.
But in this world, I need to continue to be connected to God so I continue to receive His love. You see, I leak.
What am I doing with God’s love? God lavishes His love on me and in me. It heals. His love comforts and strengthens. But God intended His love to flow through me to others. Freely it has been given to me and freely I am to give to others (Matthew 10:8). God’s love is active in my life. It heals, comfort and strengthens as God opens opportunities for me to serve His children.
Am I attracted to those with God’s love? As I live my life choosing to stay connected to God and living in His love, I learn how wonderful that can be. In this world there will be suffering and trials, “trouble” Jesus says (John 16:33), but when I choose to live in God’s love, there is peace because He has given me an eternal Hope.
While I serve and give testimony to whomever and wherever God sends me, it is so important that I spend time with others who also are soaked in God’s love. I cannot be just a conduit of God’s love. I must also spend time with those who are not there to drain me but who will be a part of my recharging and refreshing.
As I stop again to read and meditate on this passage, tears come to my eyes as I am wrapped in the handmade quilt of God’s love. Maybe that is a fanciful picture metaphor but I know His love for me is unique and made to fit and fill my every need, like a quilt made by a loving mother. And so I am going to stay here awhile longer and be held by my Father. Maybe I will whisper to Him about what is in my heart. Maybe He will rub my back, reassuring me He will always be here and always love me. “I love You, too, Father.”
Your Love is Extravagant written & sung by Darrell Evans
