Quiet Moments With God -- It's All About Love

This morning when I settled down to write my blog, I thought I knew what I wanted to say. I even had it written out. But God said, "No. That's for another day. Today I want you to talk about love." So here's what's on my heart.

I've watched people I love tear one another down. They've come to the brink of no return and yet, they persevere in their selfish need to be "right".

And they're not the only ones.

WHY DO WE DO THIS TO ONE ANOTHER?

I'm just as guilty as the next guy. I've hurt people I love . . . on purpose. When I stand before the Lord I will see all the snipes and back talk, the slander, unforgiveness, impatience, rudeness and the demands for my own way. And I will be thankful for God's perfect love.

1 Corinthians 13 has a lot to say about love. Today, I'm including it here. Please read . . . slowly. Consider each word. Are you loving others? Let's see.

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge and if I had such faith that I could move mountains but didn't love others I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wrong. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses  faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever. Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture. But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.

When I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Three things will last forever--faith, hope and love--and the greatest of these is love."


God's measuring stick is not the same as the world's. Surrounded by less than Godly standards, it's easy to forget what love really looks like.

• Love is patient.
• Love is kind.
• Love is not jealous.
• Love does not boast.
• Love is not proud.
• Love is not rude.
• Love does not demand its own way.
• Love is not irritable.
• Love keeps no record of wrong.
• Love does not rejoice over about injustice.
• Love rejoices when truth wins out.
• Love never gives up.
• Love never loses faith.
• Love is always hopeful.
• Love endures.

I don't know how you're doing, but I need improvement.

Remember -- The greastest of these is LOVE. Let's get to it.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie