The Most Excellent Way.

1 Corinthians 13,

"If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record or wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
"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. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
"and now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."


I thought about just putting just an excerpt of this chapter, then I read through the chapter to look for which excerpt to use. I could not find an excerpt... the whole chapter was necessary. Anyway, allow me to dive in.

The bottom line in this chapter, and as it suggests the bottom line in life, is love.

LOVE WINS.

You can do the most incredible things, but if they are done without love they are valueless. I think we all know this deep down, everyone thirsts for love. Everyone looks for it in different places, calls it by different names, but ultimately what we all want is love. But with so many people searching for it and so few finding it, how can we expect to be so special as to find it.

Well let me tell you, I found it (or it found me... we will not get into that). I found love. The bible says that God is love. There you go, God.

Perhaps in this passage every usage of love could be replaced with God, for you cannot have love without God and you certainly cannot have God without love.

But on a personal level, how can you know if you are loving or not? Now let us dive into the text.

Starting in verse four, love is described:

If you are not being patient, you are not loving; if you are not being kind, you are not loving; if you are envious, you are not loving; if you find yourself boasting, you are not loving; if you have PRIDE, you are not loving...

Who are you too proud to forgive? or to ask for forgiveness? What is God calling you to do that you are too proud to do? Where are you too proud to go? What are you too proud to ask for help with?

Love is not proud.

All the great things we do will fade away. Every last one of them... except love. When you love, you involve yourself with something that is eternal. Something that always has been and always will be.

God, help me to love.

In Christ,

Ben

Where is your Heart?

"If there is anyone in the world you have issues with, or anyone you know has issues with you, then you can count on there never being World Peace. If there are two people in your family that hold grudges against each other or they for some reason do not speak to each other, then count on there never being peace for all the world to enjoy. This may be what the Prophecies mean when they say heal yourself and you will heal the world. This is a fine example of the Oneness we as a Human Kind make up. You are One of a Kind."

Jason Mraz said this on his blog: www.freshnessfactorfivethousand.blogspot.com

In order to come up with this he has simply lived his life following his heart. He is not a Christian, I assume that he does not live in accordance to scriptures, but he seems to have it figured out better then half of us Christians. We have a God who tells us this stuff daily, we have friends and families to hold us accountable, but we still do not do it.

Why do we find it so impossible to forgive? Why do we find it so impossible to humble ourselves? Why do we find it so impossible to forget about who is right or wrong and simply love?

Where do you find your heart as you read this? Are you loving or are you showing contempt? Are you resolving quarrels or are you starting more?

Then ask yourself one more question: why do you suppose we are to love?

Is it just because God commanded it?

No!

You cannot truly love if you are just following a set of orders, that is impersonal and far from what love really is.

Observe God, observe love (I'm not sure how you could do one without the other) and reflect on your heart.

Grace and Peace,

Ben