The End of a Thing

Deuteronomy 32:29: "Oh, that they were wise that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!"

Oh, what a good thing to do for your love: consider the end. What will be the end effect? What will be the lasting legacy? What will they speak of years down the road? How will it effect others after I'm gone, "in the end"?

At the end of the year, these are good things to ponder.

Your love will have a lasting effect, what will it be?

Consider Others Better

"..consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3b

What a profound statement by St. Paul.

It not only says "consider," which is think about, ponder, evaluate, in other words we must think.

Step 1: Think.

Then it says what to consider: Others.

O.K., we are to think about others. We are to evaluate their needs and desires. We are to spend time pondering them.

Step 2: Think about others.

Now, for the clincher: Think of them as more than yourself. Or, think of others more than you think of yourself. Spend more time thinking of others than yourself. That might solve a lot of self pity and self aggrandizement. If we think more of others, we might understand them more and perhaps serve them better and love them more completely.

Step 3: Think of others more highly ~ than you do yourself.

Leading with Love

My husband is always asking leadership questions.

That made me think: How am I leading in love?

I think this is an important question.

How are you leading with love today?

How are you leading anyone else to love today?

Leading has connotations of being proactive, sensitive to followers or co-workers, and wisdom.

How are you using those qualities today to lead those around you with love and into love?

Is love dying?

Naomi Zacharias said, "The cost of truly engaging in any relationship is to die to oneself." (Just Thinking,Vol. 18.3, page 37)

It's a truth, but it may hurt.

It's the truth, but we don't want to shout it.

I asked someone the other day, what they do with an "inconvenient truth." My Mother simply sets it aside and forgets about it. What do you do with a truth you don't particularly want to know or embrace? Loving is dying. It is dying to self. It is dying for others. It doesn't sound good. But it may be the best truth in the world.

Think of it like a seed that dies in the ground only to bring a bigger life into being.

Sowing Love

Anne Morrow Lindbergh said in a poem: "...the seeds of love must be eternally resown."

Love is not a one time commitment, but a daily decision.

Love is not a wedding ceremony, or the honeymoon, it's the whole of life.

Love is not a one time gift, but something you continue to give.

Love must be forever sown into the acts of our life and thoughts.

Sow them today.

Sow them tomorrow.

Sow them forever.

Belief in Love

Bono sings in 'Moment of Surrender,' a line that caused me to think:

"It's not if I believe in love, but if loves believes in me."

Sometimes, the clearest thing about love is that it chooses you.

It's not what we think, but the power and reality of love.

Does love from on high see me as capable of handling it's gift?

Does love from above see me as receptive to it's designs on my life and relationships?

O Love (GOD) believe in me!

The Greatest Love Story Ever

Christmas is the biggest celebration in the world.

Have you ever considered the implications of that?

If Christmas is celebrating the birth of Christ, the Savior of the world, this should tell us something. The world recognized that a Savior came and that the Savior is Christ.
We need a savior and He came. His name is Christ.
-Let us be like the angels of old and sing: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men on whom His favor rests." (Luke 2:14)
-Let us be like the shepherds and "spread the word" (Luke 2:17) & "glorify and praise God" (v. 20)
-And let us be like Mary and "treasure these things and pondered them" in our hearts. (Luke 2:19)

After all, it was the greatest love story ever told.

Homes Need Love

As the story goes, "It was the night before Christmas when all through the house..."

What is going on in your house tonight?
What is usually going on in your house?

Our homes should be a place of love.
Our homes should be a place of peace.
Our homes should be a safe place. After all we put all the safeguards in place for little children. We also put security systems in our house. We lock our doors and windows. We are vigilant for the safety of our families, let us be as vigilant for love of our loved ones.

"Love begins at home, if we can only make our own homes temples of love." Mother Teresa

(page 405, The Joy in Loving)

Christmas is about love & giving

If Christmas is about giving, it is about God, it is about love.

That's what love and God are about.

John 3:16 taught us "For God so loved, He gave... His Son" - what Christmas is all about.
To honor His gift to us, His Son, we now give gifts to others. We usually buy and wrap them. But, remember the greatest gift you give is to love someone. You give the gift, let them unwrap it.

So Easy, So Hard

My husband made a profound statement the other day: "It's so easy to love yourself and so hard to love others. Love, so easy to say, so hard to live out."

What's easy for you? What's hard for you?

If it is easy for us to love ourselves, why is it so hard to love others?

Usually it's because we are self absorbed, doing what is good for us is what it's all about.

How about a step into maturity, or other mindedness, and thinking about the others, and the ramifications to them. Our decisions everyday affect others, whether we see it or not.

"Love," it's so easy to say those words, yet so hard to live out.

The Reward of Love

Matthew 6:1 says, "Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."

This is right on the heels of Matthew 5:12 (in the same sermon, the one on the Mount), that says, "Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven..." This referring to people being persecuted and falsely accused.

Something about rewards that we should know:

1. The Lord rewards (See I Samuel 24:19; Proverbs 25:22; and Colossians 3:24)

2. The Lord rewards according to what we have done

(See Proverbs 19:17; Jeremiah 17:10 and 32:19; and Ephesians 6:8)

3. My reward is with God (See Isaiah 49:4; Matthew 5:12; and Luke 6:23)

Where are you looking for your rewards? Your reward is with God, your reward is God.

Greater Love

"Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

How are you laying down your life today for your friends?

How are you putting aside your wishes for another?

How are you dying to your self and becoming alive to the needs of others around you?

I want great love. As a matter of fact, I want greater love.

Now, I know what I must do.

Love does not mean we think alike

David Ferenc said: "We need not think alike to love alike."

Sometimes there is a false thinking that creeps into our lives.

We have to watch for that. We are not mirrors of each other, but compliments.

We are not exactly alike, but complimentary pieces that come together.

We do not need to agree on all things to agree on one thing: to love inspite of other things.

We don't need to agree. We need to love.

Love = Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the spandex in the garment of love.

It is what gives and expands to allow the garment - with you in it - to move and stretch.

It's the 'give' in the fabric. It's the 'give' in for'give'.

Be about giving. Be about forgiving. Be about love.

Forgiving may be the biggest part in our tapestry of living.

We have to forgive to move on. We have to forgive to stay in relationship.

We have to forgive to have peace.

We need forgiveness. But, we also need to give it.

If you're not forgiving, you are not fully living.

Loving = Happiness

This quote is said by different people in different ways. But I found where Allan Chalmers said:

"The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and

something to hope for..."

So consider today what you are doing, what and who you are loving, and what you are hoping for. This may reveal a lot about you and your motivations and your goals. Happiness could be contained in what you do, who or what you love, and what you put your hope in. Be happy!

Crowned with Love

Psalm 103:4 says God "crowns us with love and compassion."

Have you ever thought about being crowned with love?

It's a magical picture, isn't it? Have a crown not of diamonds and emeralds, but of love and compassion. And isn't love and compassion worth far more than rubies and diamonds?

Wear your crown today with grace. Administer your regal duties of loving and caring on others with the dignity of a Sovereign. After all, you do represent the King.

"God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen." I Timothy 6:15,16

The Benefits of Love

Have you ever wondered what the benefits are to love?

If you have, I bet you came up with a long list.

If you haven't, do it now.

What would be on your list of benefits?

Comfort, joy, peace, pleasure, companionship, strength from another, encouragement, etc., etc.

Take time now to thank God for all His benefits, especially the benefit of Him loving us.

Psalm 103:2 - Praise the Lord, O my soul - and forget not all His benefits...

Love Changes Everything

Think of one thing that love does not change...quick!

Love changes everything it touches.

People cannot stay the same and be loved.

They may not change on the outside, but on the inside, they will never be the same.

The work is on the inside, but it tends to show on the outside.

Love changes everything. Are you willing to be changed?

"...Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:3,4 (Jesus speaking with a child in front of Him to others about the question, "Who is the greatest?")

Love Transforms

Elizabeth Barrett Browning said:

"I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am with you.

I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me..."

Love is transforming. It not only transforms you, it transforms your relationships.

Be transformed by love. Be transformed by loving someone, and allowing yourself to be loved.

You will never be the same, and neither will they.

The Plurality of Love

Love has a oneness to it and a plurality. We cannot love one and not have that love spill out on others around us. If we have love in our hearts it will show on all around it. Like Lady Justice, who is blind, love has also been called blind. Romans 3 tells us that righteousness comes through faith, to all who believe, "there is no difference." (verse 22) God is no discriminator in acting justly and offering His love. Romans 10:12 says "There is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him." Love is not only singular, it is also plural. It cast a big net that might catch one, or many. Understand that your singular focus could end up being a plural, multifaceted net of love that covers many people and many things. Cast your net.

The Singularity of Love

To focus on one thing, is enough. Sometimes we forget how focusing on one thing focuses us. If today we would concentrate on loving - just one thing, one person, one virtue. There is power in oneness. There is power in focus. There is power in love. To love just one person...could be a liberating, exilerating experience. Can we just do one thing well? Could we love just one person completely?

"Purity of heart is to will one thing." Soren Kierkegaard

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Hebrews 10:24

What hole is there in you?

Richard Stearns in his book, "The Hole in our Gospel," says, "Maybe I have a responsibility to do my part to love the world that Jesus loves so much." [page 2] He calls us to remember our obligation to the world and it's people that Jesus so willingly gave His life for. How often we forget or neglect our responsibility to love those around us and even those we don't see who are in need. This hole, this vacuum we have in our lives and our practical theology is we don't do what we say or what we profess we believe. If we believe, our actions should be different. How are your beliefs altering your actions today? Does what you believe match what you do, how you act? We not only have a hole in our theology, we also have holes in our hearts, because we are not living (and acting) in the way we were intended to. Don't let your hole in your gospel be a lack of love demonstrated from a lack of love in your heart.

Love as a Goal

Henry Drummond wrote a great little book called, The Greatest Thing in the World, where he says:

"The supreme work to which we need to address ourselves in this world [is] to learn Love. Is life not full of opportunities for learning Love? Every man and woman every day has a thousand of them. The world is not a playground; it is a schoolroom. Life is not a holiday, but an education. And the one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love." (page 57)

If the greatest thing in the world is love (according to I Corinthians 13:13), then we should pursue it as our primary goal. What's your goal today?

Extending His Love

How can I extend God's love further today? How can I break through whatever barriers are in front of me to extend God's grace and love? There are so many barriers: fear, intimidation, political correctness, apathy, etc. What are the barriers to you loving more genuinely, more passionately? What keeps you from extending, and keeps you withdrawing? Whatever it is, name it. Give it a name, and tell it you will not let anything (fill in your label) stop you from extending love today. You won't let anger or hurt feelings or fear stop you from extending love to another, perhaps even yourself.

Be Love Carriers

How can you be carriers of love today instead of carriers of disease, colds, animosity, anxiety, fear, guilt, etc.?

We all carry around what is in us. We carry forward what we have in our past and our hopes for the future. We carry around so many burdens. Why not carry so much love, so much joy, so much hope? Pick it up in your arms today and carry it. There were be plenty of people along the way that will need it and be grateful you had some for them.

Think of the 'mail carriers.' They bring you packages everyday. Some are good (notes from friends, or perhaps checks) and some are bad (bills, bad news, etc). Everyday you anticipate this, but you don't know what you'll discover. Today deliver good news to others wrapped in love.

Love = Bears

I Corinthians 13:7 says Love "bears all things." This is cross referenced to Galatians 6:2, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Which leads us to Romans 15:1, "We then who are strong ought to bear with the weaknesses of the weak, and not to please ourselves."

It makes me think of a "bearing load." During construction we heard a lot about "load bearing walls." So, after looking this up, I found that it is where the strength is found to support other weight. Sometimes, we are those load bearing walls for other people around us. Sometimes, they are for us.

Bear your load - with love.

Ongoing Love

It's somebody's anniversary out there, and I'm celebrating the ongoingness of love. As First Corinthians 13 described love, "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (verses 7 and 8) An Anniversary seems to be the appropriate place to take note of this. It doesn't say they haven't failed. It doesn't say they their load would be easy. It even tells us they need hope amidst their love. It also discloses they will need to endure many things. It doesn't say they're perfect, or that their love is...but that in the end (even if in the middle it does) their love will not fail, because their love is true and the God they trust is. A non failing love says inspite of all this, I still love you, I'm still here. That's what we celebrate today with this special couple. Standing firm through the trials, hand in hand, with hope and love - enduring.

Thank you for your witness. Thank you for your love. We are all better because of it.

Love Goes On

First Corinthians chapter 13, the great love lecture, says "love goes on forever" (verse 8 in The Living Bible).

A love that goes on.

A love that goes on - forever.

Not just a love that last a long time.

But a love that has no end.

A love that is eternal.

Since only God is eternal, we touch God in our love.

We extend love into eternity through God.

Oh, go on...have an ongoing love affair - and enjoy it - and be blessed.

Love Doesn't Require Perfection

After someone's infidelities were revealed, they simply said, "they weren't perfect, they were human." I've been reflecting on this. Fidelity does not require perfection, it involves character. Fidelity to another is not some super human effort, it takes self control. Fidelity to another human being may take some self discipline, but please, don't tell us you're not perfect. We know that. We also, regardless of your thoughts, comprehend that you are human. We may have expected more from you. We may have taken you at your word, that you would be faithful. Isn't that what you professed before that crowd at the wedding? When did infidelity become an expression of humanity instead of a sign of sin? Transgression means a violation of a law or a sin. So, please let's still call infidelity what it is a transgression - a falling away - not from perfection, but from our word/oath and another person (also a human being), and God.

Love is Loyal

The Living Bible's I Corinthians 13:7 says, "If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost."

How much has your loyalty cost you?

How much has your love cost you?

Loyalty entails faithfulness. Loyalty contains respectfulness. Loyalty implies admiration.

How does your love reflect loyalty? Have you ever considered that you are in a royal relationship that should involve loyalty? Loyalty says yes before it knows the question. Loyalty goes where the loyalty is. Where are you going today with yours?

Do It Well, Do It With Love

Vincent Van Gogh said: "Whatever is done in love is done well."

Which sounds a lot like some other verses:

Ecclesiastes 9:10- Whatever you do - do it mightily

I Corinthians 10:31 - Whatever you do - do all to the glory of God

Colossians 3:23 - Whatever you do - do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men

III John 5 - do faithfully whatever you do

There are lots of things to consider when doing anything: mightily, for God's glory, as to the Lord and not men, faithfully and lovingly, and so much more.

Loving Your Neighbor

"Love your neighbor as yourself." This tenet is found in Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; and James 2:8.

The interesting thing here is you never know who your neighbor will be. I've been fortunate to have great neighbors. Sometimes I feel my neighbors have been angels I have entertained unaware (Hebrew 13:2).

Neighbors can change too over the years, but the command does not.

Love & Integrity

Ron Greer in his new book, If You Know Who You Are...You'll Know What To Do, says, "Love is at the heart of a life of moral integrity." (page 82)

He spends his book outlining a life of integrity. He starts off with defining integrity: "it's doing the right thing when we know it's the right thing to do. It's who we are. It's being true to the lives to which we have been called." (page 9)

If you want to live a life of moral integrity, love must be where it starts. Let love be the heart of your life.

I Peter 1:22- Love one another deeply, from the heart

Proverbs 4:23 - Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life

It's all about recovering

My niece keeps thinking one thing I said to her is important: "It's all about learning to recover, because we're all recovering from something." There are major things we continually have to recover from, and there are the small things, like the latest insult. We're always in some state of recovery. Isn't that what the body teaches us? It needs sleep, rest, and time to recover from exercise or illness. Don't be hard on yourself, or others. We're all just doing the best with what we've been given. Remember that the next time it's hard to love yourself, or the person next to you.

Wanting the best for another

Neb Hayden defines love this way: "Love means to will the best for another." (page 90, his book 'When the Good News Gets Even Better.') I think that's a great definition. Can you think of a better? Do you think the best of others? Do you want the best for others? Not wanting the best for others is an indicator that something is wrong. When this happens, check your motivations and attitude. You may find out you're thinking more about you, and wanting the best for you and not the other.

Love and Thanks

Jonathan Edwards said: "There is love implied in thankfulness. True thankfulness is no other than the exercise of love to God on occasion of His goodness to us."

On this day of Thanksgiving, let there be thanks because there is love. When we love, we appreciate. When we appreciate, we love. It's a beautiful cycle not a vicious one. We need more beautiful cycles of love and thanksgiving.

Love is Sharing

Mother Teresa has so many wonderful quotes on love. I have combined 2 here:

"Love is sharing."

"Love is giving the best we have."

If love shares, it also wants to give the best it has. Love is not only sharing 'our stuff.' It is sharing the best of us and what we have to offer. Love is giving it's all. Love is giving. Love is giving the best we have. Love is always offering the best we have. Offer that today.

Lavish Love

I John 3:1 - "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"

Ponder that for a while. We are children of God. Do we act like it? Do we love like it? We should reflect the love God has for us. We should be expressing the love He has shown us. We should be humbled by it and grateful for it.

God's love is lavish. It is eternal. It is beyond our comprehension. Just try to comprehend a little of it.

Love & Giving

My wise husband in his book says, "Love is the fuel for giving" as he writes on philanthropy. He also reminds the reader that philanthropy is the love of man. So, if we love man, we give. Like God in John 3:16...For God so loved, gave...

How's your giving? It's an indication of you love.

There's a good record: check your check book.

Love & Pain

Why should pain be a part of love? When I ask myself that, I realize immediately that it is because 'love cares.' If one cares, pain is a part of that relationship. Would I rather have a life free of pain, which means consequentially that I will have a life devoid of love? If we really ponder that - I think some would choose a life without love, so they would not have pain. But, in choosing love, I accept the pain that comes with it. I also partake of the joy. I also enter into something bigger than me and more fulfilling than a pain free life.

What does your love reflect?

In my friend Neb's writings (page 84 of When the Good News Gets Even Better) about dealing with people who are unkind or even hateful, he says Jesus taught us (in Matthew 5:38-48) and elsewhere in the Bible (I Thes 5:15; I Peter 3:9; Romans 12:14, 17-19), "that our response should be reflective of who we are not simply a reaction that mirrors our natural emotions." Does your love reflect who you are or reveal who you don't want to be? Our natural emotions can be confusing, and often not good. Don't let your love reflect who you aren't or don't want to be. Let your love reflect who made you, and loves you, and loves others. Don't be a reactor, be a generator.

No Love, No God

How can there be "no love?" There can only be a lack of love when God is not there. When God is absent there is a "God vacuum." And if wherever God is there is love, then wherever God is not, love is not there. Bring God into your lives, into your relationships, into your homes and businesses. He stands at the door and knocks, but we must invite Him in and allow Him (Revelations 3:20). He is not only a lover but a gentleman. The devil is a strongman and he strongarms his ways around and into our lives. As Joshua 1:9 says, "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Sense the presence of God and look for love it all around you, let it be in you.

Love Thinks No Evil

The New King James Version of I Corinthians 13:5 says "Love Thinks No Evil."

Which made me look up 'evil.' Evil can be any/all of the following: wrong, malice, wicked, harmful. It also made me think that love thinks loving thoughts not ugly thoughts.

Love thinks the best of the other. That may be why in verse 7 it says 'love hopes all things.'

Love involves hope and charity in it's thoughts not evil or destructive thoughts.

Watch what you think, it effects your love.

Love through prayer, praying because you love

Let us pray with Nehemiah as he prayed, "O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying..." (Neh 1:4-6)

Out of our love for our people and our nation, we too like Nehemiah should pray for our people and our land. Love moves us into great action. Love calls us to higher work. Love places a prayer in our hearts for our others. Let that love be unleashed today through pray.

Rooted & Established in Love

Ephesians 3:17-19, "...And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power...to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Are you rooted in loved? Is love established in your heart and home and work place?

Is love what wells up in you? Does your "package," "your fruit," reveal what your roots are? You can only 'bear' what your roots are, i.e., what you really are.

You see on buildings, "Established...in so and so, a year." Let your love be established today. Make that marker in your life. Love is established here and mark the date.

Keep On Keeping On

Jude 21 says "Keep yourselves in the love of God."

Fall in love with God some more today.

Contemplate your love Him and His love for you.

Know that not only is there a God, but that He loves you. [I John 3:1; John 3:16]

He not only loves you, He planned you [Psalm 22:9,10; Psalm 139:13]

and has a plan for you. [Jeremiah 29:11; John 14:3]

He cares for you. [I Peter 5:7]

The only way we know love is that He loves us. [I John 4:19]

Pslam 57:10- For great is your love, reaching to the heavens...

Psalm 103:11 - For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him.

Zephaniah 3:17- The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Think Love

Proverbs 23:7 says, "As he/she thinks in his/her heart, so is he/she."

Well, if that's the case, let's THINK LOVE.

Give the gift of love ~ Smile

Mother Teresa also said, "Everytime you smile at someone, it s an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."



If it is a beautiful thing, and a gift, and free!

What a wonderful gift you can give others.

What a beautiful expression of love.



Smile and love. Smile because you are loved.

Begin Love with a Smile

Mother Teresa said, "the smile is the beginning of love."



Begin love today by simply smiling.

You don't even have to smile at anyone.

Even if you're all alone, just smile.

See what a difference a smile can make.

See how it changes your heart, or perhaps someone elses.

Love and Truth Keeps Evil Out

I Corinthians 13:6 is a couplet: Love does not delight in evil, Love rejoices with the truth. It couples a negative with a positive. It seems the two concepts are tied together. It is also joined together in another verse, II Thessalonians 2:12 where it says those who have delighted in wickedness will be condemned, as well as those who have not believed in the truth. Could it be that if we are divorced, or even separated from the truth, we will engage in wrong (evil) activities? That seems to be the implication. Look for that implication in your life today. Check to see if you are rejoicing in the truth, so you will not take part in evil.

Taking our Responsibility to Love seriously

Pondering our responsibility to love, I realized anytime I fail to love, I let someone down. That's a huge responsibility. Whenever I fail to love, properly, someone else suffers, or looses something they should have had. God has given us relationships. Our part, our responsibility, is to love them, as He intended - no more - no less.

Do we comprehend the ramifications of our responsibility? Failing to love, is failing to live - rightly, the way God intended. We let others down, and we lose something ourselves...something that was intended for us or to be worked through us. We also let down our Divine Life and Love Giver, who decreed this for our good and the good of others, and for His glory.

Ponder this today.

Small things with Great Love

We all want to do great things for God, but I've discovered God may not desire great things out of me, but for me to do little things with great love. Which made me think of Mother Teresa's quote:

"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

Which made me think of Paul's quote:

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." Colossians 3:23

Today, may that be our goal, small things with great love!

Love Does Not Hold Grudges

The Living Bible speaks so powerfully in their reading of I Corinthians 13. Their verse 5 says love does not hold grudges. How easy that is to do? We feel so justified to do it also. After all, they were wrong, they wronged us. We were done wrong. Well, there's self righteousness, isn't it? That's all about us, and what we're learning is love all about others and not about us. It's not me I'm concerned for, but them. So, if they did do wrong. I'm concerned for them, not mad at them. If I've been done wrong, I trust God with it. Hebrews 10:30 says, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay...The Lord will judge His people." That's a good thing to remember when we want to avenge, from a grudge we've been holding. God will make it all straight. Loving is trusting Him with the outcome.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who LOVE Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Love Extravagantly

I really like Gary Thomas' challenge built in a prayer in his book and devotional Sacred Marriage, "Lord, how can I love my spouse today like she/he has never been or ever will be loved?" If we could think this thought, ask this question, and live this out everyday, I know our spouses lives would be so much better. Our lives would have a different focus, and people around us would benefit from the overflow of a zealous love that is focused on loving others in an extravagant way. Love extravangantly today.

Love is a Verb

Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, in their book John~Encountering Christ in a Life-Changing Way, say (page 106) "People sometimes use the word love as a noun. They erroneously equate it as a thing that you either possess or lack, as in "I don't have any love for him." But love isn't a noun in this context. It is a verb. It is something you do...When love is a verb, you can follow Christ's command to love each other even if you don't feel like it."

It's a great reminder, love is a verb, it's something you do, it takes action (not feeling).

Love is not a noun, you don't possess it, and you don't lose it - that's just an excuse not to act on the conviction of your heart and the call of your Savior.

Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs

I Corinthians 13:5 is stocked full of what love is not. In some way understanding what love is not, helps to shine light on what love is. In understanding what we're not suppose to do, it leads us to what we should do. It's a lot like training a child. Mostly you start with the "no's." "No," you don't do that. "No," you can't do that. Somehow, through the no's we learn our way.

I think a lot of us keep list: List of "To Do's"; grocery list; etc. But, I think a lot more of us keep list of how we've been done wrong. We can tick off quickly how you've failed us, how you were in error. Our error list is somehow vaguely forgotten, misplaced.

We have to train ourselves, to number one, forget to make the list. Once we quit making the list, we'll quit referring to it. And once we do that, we'll be a lot happier, and as a serendipity, so will they.

Love is Not Easily Angered

How easily are you angered? I know with me, it's pretty easy. Or maybe I should say, I'm easily frustrated, or quickly impatient. A person should not be fearful that we will be easily angered, this stifles relationships, if not kills it. Relationships need a secure place to be, and a secure person to be with. Relationships should be safe havens, where you can be you without fear of anger, criticism, or judgment. Not that anger, criticism and judgment are not part of relating, but that they should be in a safe setting of love. If you deliver these in a loving way, it should come across as love being the reason you are upset, or the basis for your critical evaluation - for the sake of the relationship, not to hurt the other person, or for the other person. Because as we know, helping the other person is what love is all about, not tearing them down. Anger always hurts the other person. Easy anger hurts more, it wounds the spirit of the other. Let's be really difficult to be angered. Doesn't that sound like a better way to relate? It will be better for you and for them.

(I Corinthians 13:5)

What do you notice?

"It will hardly even notice when others do it wrong." This is how The Living Bible reads for I Corinthians 13:5. This to me may be the whole key to love. I have to remind myself of this constantly. Everytime I am slighted, I remind myself - I am suppose to hardly even notice when others do me wrong. So, I have to dismiss it. I have to overlook it. I have to ask why I am so sensitive. I have to consider what's going on with them. That may be a better place for me to be - thinking of what is going on in their lives. I find they have difficulties they are dealing with, I find they are struggling with things I never realized. When you take the time to look at them and their lives, it brings compassion and understanding. This helps to feed our love for them.

Love is Not Irritable

Now, doesn't that just irritate you? To say love is not irritable, really irritates me. Of course I get irritated, don't you? The Living Bible goes on to say love "is not irritable or touchy." You can't help but think of the sand in the oyster that irritates to produce a pearl. Sometimes the irritations are there to work in us a great treasure. Sometimes though we may notice the irritations are there and they shouldn't be...in other words, we are being "too touchy", or too critical, or too self absorbed. The next time you notice you are irritated, ask yourself if it is there to produce something wonderful, or is it your self obsession. That way, either way ~ it can produce something wonderful!

Love is Not Resentful

The New Revised Standard Version reads "love is not resentful." (1 Corinthians 13:5)

The Hebrew interpretation means "sullen." The Latin there in 'sentir' is feeling. It conveys a re-feeling, going over it again. It connotes bitterness. Love has no bitterness, because it doesn't play the wrong acts over and over again (it keeps no record of wrongs- same verse). Love doesn't use things against the other person. It doesn't think badly of the other, another reading of verse 5 says it "thinks no evil." If we don't think bad thoughts, we don't get bitter, and we have no resentment. Check your hearts and see what you find, and remove what shouldn't be there and replace it with what should - LOVE.

Love is Not Self Seeking

The New International Version interprets 1 Corinthians 13 verse 5 as saying, "Love is not self seeking." That's definitely not "today." Today, we are all self seeking. After all, "we are worth it," we are told. Seeking your own ~ your own way, your own path, your own pleasure is what we are all about. This must be something contradictory to what the world teaches us. I think most of our problems stem from our eyes being on ourselves. Wonder what the world would be like if everyone sought the good of others, instead of just the self? This would really change the world. Wonder what it would do to our little worlds, if we just tried?

My life verse seems to apply here: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

Love Does Not Demand

I Corinthians 13:5 continues to tell what love is and what it is not. Now we learn, love does not demand its own way. Now, that's a new thought. We don't demand love. We give love. We don't expect love. As C.S. Lewis reminded us, we are surprised by love. It shows up in unexpected ways, and through unexpected means. When you start to demand, or even expect something, remember love is a gift by another that we cannot demand. But, if we love, we won't need to demand it, it will come, freely. Freely as you have been given, freely give (Matthew 10:8).

Galatians 5:13 - You were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Love is Not Rude

How does it feel to be around rude people? Not good. Who wants to be around them? I run from them. Well, love has nothing to do with rudeness. Rudeness is again about one's self. Rudeness is me first. Rudeness, is you get out of the way...make room for me. Love must have manners, because it cares about the other. It is always considerate of the other, and putting their needs first. Rudeness is rampant today. There is no consideration of the other whether you are driving a car or riding on a bus. People don't seem to care about those around them. That's because we are becoming a loveless society. Let's put love back into our culture by showing consideration for those around us...especially those close around us!

[I Corinthians 13:5]

Love is Not Proud

Pride in the Greek means to think more highly of yourself, than perhaps you should. It's a bit like hyperinflation, you are asking for more than your are worth. Hyperinflation is when prices increase so rapidly that currency loses value. Pride also encapsulates the idea of one appearing above others, which denotes looking down on others.

Love thinks less of self, and more of others. Love thinks you are worth more than me. Love doesn't look down on people, it looks up and out to people. Pride is antithetical to love. If you've got pride, check it in for love.

[I Corinthians 13:4]

Love Does Not Boast

Aren't boasters the worst people to be around? Arrogant braggards are a drag and a bore. That's why love does not boast. Love has humility. Love would ask, "What is there to brag about, but you?" Because their eyes are on the other. Love is good to be around. Love hardly even notices they did any good, any less than they notice others did not do so good (I Corinthians 13:5). Boasters are all about them and what they've done. Love is all about the other ~ and what can be done for the other.

Who do you like being around? Or should I say, who do you love being around?

I Corinthians 13:4

Love Does Not Envy

Envy is all about the green eye...what others have that you do not. It's about what they've got and I want. It's the thought that you have it and I'm going to take it from you, or at least I don't want you to have it. Bottom line, it's selfishness, self centeredness. This is not what love is about. Love is about giving. Love is about ~ I have it and I want to share it with you, or give it completely to you, because you are more important than me. Envy says I'm the most important one here, 'it's all about me.' It's the culture we live in. It's the marketing campaign of all ads, 'you deserve it.' It's anathema to love. If you have envy in your heart, it crowded love out. The good news is if you have love in your heart, there is no room for envy.

(I Corinthians 13:4)

Love is Kind

The second description of love found in First Corinthians 13, is that love is kind. Here's a good indicator. How kind am I? How kind was I to the clerk that didn't wait on me right away (patience again)? How kind was I to the man who stepped in front of me in line today? Was my glare kind? The bumper sticker says "practice random acts of kindness." Wouldn't it be nice if we just practiced intentional acts of kindness everyday? I know that would make someone's day better, and that someone could be me!

"Kindness trumps greed: it asks for sharing.

Kindness trumps fear: it calls forth gratefulness and love.

Kindness trumps even stupidity, for with sharing and love, one learns."

Marc Estrin

Love Anyway

Last night I was looking through some of Robert's old files. I found this poem, called Anyway:

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered,

LOVE THEM ANYWAY

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives,

DO GOOD ANYWAY

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies,

SUCCEED ANYWAY

The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow,

DO GOOD ANYWAY

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable,

BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY

What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight,

BUILD ANYWAY

People really need help but may attack you if you help them,

HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth,

GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY

It says this poem is from a wall at a children's home in Calcutta (Shishu Bhavan).

This should be written in our hearts. It answers the questions on this day. If you're going to lose someone, why love them? Here's the answer, I'd do it all over again. LOVE THEM ANYWAY. People will disappoint you, people will leave you, people will hurt you, but LOVE THEM ANYWAY.

Love is Patient, are you?

The first description of love given in the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians is patience: Love is patient. Contemplate that. Love is patient, or is waiting, or is enduring, or is persevering. This are all Greek counterpoints to the word translated patient. The King James version interprets it as 'suffers long.' There's something we don't want to hear or endure.

One word that does not describe me is 'patient.' I guess that reveals a fault or weakness of mine. If I am to loving, I am to be patient. This is something I am going to have to address, or should I say change.

Gaining Nothing or Gaining Love

I Corinthians 13 verse 3 says if I don't have love, "I gain nothing." In stating you gain nothing, it says even if you give all you have, which assumes you had something. It even says if you sacrifice your body, you gain nothing. In other words you gave up to gain nothing. In giving up, sacrificing, make sure you are giving up to gain and not to lose. We all don't want to give up and have it be for naught. If you don't give with love, it's no good. "Gain" here connotes trading, working. If you are working for something or trading for something, make sure it's for gain: LOVE. At the end of the day, that's the only thing worth gaining ~ or giving, love.

Wtihout love, we are nothing

Let's start with the "Love Chapter," I Corinthians 13: "if I have not love, I am nothing" (verse 2). If I don't have love, I don't have anything. Stating if I have all these other things (gifts, foresight, knowledge, even faith), I still don't have anything. Isn't that an oxymoron? I have all this other stuff, but it says I have nothing. "I am nothing," those are big words. It's even a bigger feeling. If you don't want that, then want love more than anything. Pursue love over anything. Be loving over anything.

The Pleasure of Loving

Author Gary Thomas reminds us to "discover the quiet but profound pleasure of loving and being loved, of truly knowing and being known. To be loved well and to be known completely by one is far more fulfilling than being adored by many and truly known by none." What a lofty thought and goal. Take it to heart today and discover it's pleasure. Remember your audience is one - the one in front of you.

Love the Truth

II Thessalonians 2:10 tells us plainly that people perish because they do not love the truth - so they might be saved. Oh dear one, love the truth, so you might be saved. The truth can save us. It can save you now with what you are dealing with. Not only will it free you (John 8:32), it has the power to save you; and not only from yourself but from evil and eternal suffering. Let truth have it's way with you and love it ~ let the truth save even you.

Keeping Yourself in Love

"Keep yourselves in the love of God..." Jude 21

Isn't that funny that Jude has to remind us to keep ourselves in the love of God.

I think he had to do that because he knew how we would lapse into everything/anything else so easily. So today, I encourage you with Jude's words: KEEP YOURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD - and not anything else!

"You gotta outlove them"

Gray always says this. He has to remind me constantly. Somehow I forget. I have to keep loving. I have to love more. I have to "outlove them" as he says. I have to give more love than I get. I have to love when I don't feel it. I have to extend love when they don't deserve it. How will I ever get this concept? This mantra of his, helps me. I hope it helps you too. Keep outloving them!

Learning Love

Katherine Anne Porter has written: "Love must be learned, and learned again and again; there is no end to it. Hate needs no instruction, but waits only to be provoked."

Hate is natural and ever present, just waiting for the place to show up. Love is learned everyday as you say no to self and to anger. It is not only our goal, it is our discipline everyday. Exercise is abundant, opportunities arise everyday to let you flex those loving muscles. Don't react naturally, out of self. Act supernaturally, out of the Divine.

From love it to lose it

In one split moment I can go from utter love to loosing it. How about you? Can your peace be pierced in a nano second? How can we be so fickle? How can our love and/or peace be so fleeting, so unstable? Anything can trigger us. Just recall the next something explodes inside, we are called to love, it's a discipline, it's a choice. Lose it in love, not anger!

An Unquenchable love

An often overlooked small book in the Bible, Song of Solomon tells us "many waters cannot quench love." An unquenchable love, that's something to think about. Quenching has to do with putting out fire, extinguishing. This is a love you can't put out. You can't extinguish it's fire. That's a roaring love. A love that has a life of it's own. Cold water thrown on it cannot stop it's spread. Go out and love with that kind of love today, and maybe you'll love with that kind of love the day after tomorrow, and the next, and the next...

An unshakable love

Isaiah 54:10 says God's unfailing love will not be shaken. I like that picture - an unshakable love. Elvis depicted love as "all shook up." Isaiah paints it as unshakable, unmovable, unfailing. His love is sure, it is not shaken by the events of the day or the trembling in our hearts. It is settled: He loves us. And Numbers 23:19 teaches us that God does not change His mind. I Samuel 15:29 & Psalm 110:4 reiterates it.

How is your love? Is it shakey? Learn from the Master Lover. Be all shook up with His love and let that settle in.

An unfailing love

Lamentations 3:32 tells us God shows compassion to us, "so great is His unfailing love." An unfailing love, a love that does not fail. Now, that's something to contemplate. Everyday we encounter failures in love. We see it in broken relationships. We see it in promiscuity and adultery. We see it in spouse's faces everyday. Even if our loves fail, His love does not. So, we should put our trust in His love and not ours, or others.

"But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices..." Psalm 13:5

"The Lord's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him." Psalm 32:10

"The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love." Psalm 33:18

"May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You." Psalm 33:22

"Let us give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love..." Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

Hearts that love get broken and healed

Our hearts have broken over death, disappointments, and delusions. But I was reminded today that broken hearts grow back stronger. Hearts that have not been broken are hearts that have not loved or lived much or long. Hearts that have been broken are sure signs of loving. Healing hearts are sure signs of a good God that looks on the broken hearted.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

Love's Mark

We went to a U2 concert last night, and one line struck me:

"Only love only love can leave such a mark
But only love only love can heal such a scar"

Ponder those words. Only love can hurt us so deeply and only love can heal us so completely. If life is all about relationships, relationships are all about love. Let your life be marked by love and healed by it's stripes.

Focusing Words

Something I started saying years ago and have expounded on over the years, has really helped to focus me:

Nothing but love

Everything forgiven

Filled with the Holy Spirit

Emptied of self

By His might

For His glory

See if you can come up with some words that help to bring you back to what matters, when you need it.

Love is a choice

It's a choice today - if you are going to love, how you are going to love, how you are going to demonstrate that love, to whom you are going to extend that love... There are a lot of choices in loving. Which choices will you make? Will you be more patient, show kindness, withhold critical words, change a habit, give mercy to someone who perhaps doesn't deserve it? How will you show love today? It's your choice. Make it a good one!

Duty to Love/Debt of love

"Duty" in Greek means 'debt, or what is due.' Christ paid our debt. But He left us the remainder balance of debt - to love one another.

Romans 13:8: "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another."

Pay your installment today on your debt - to love. Make a small down payment or a big lavash one!

Love & Mercy

The Psalms are full of expressing God's merciful love to us. It says God's tender mercies "are from of old." (Psalm 25:6) David called for God's mercy "according to Your lovingkindness, according to Your multitude of tender mercies." (Psalm 51:1 & 69:16).

Let's pray Psalm 119:13: "Look upon me and be merciful to me, as your custom is toward those who love Your name."

God, we need Your tender mercy so we can love. Be merciful to us.

Love & Kindness

II Peter 1:5-7 commends us to add kindness to our love. Verse 8 goes on to tell us if we have these things we won't be useless (barren) or unfruitful in our knowledge of Christ.

How kind is your love? Does your love look like lovingkindness? Kindness takes a gentle spirit. Christ had a gentle spirit. We need one too.

O Lord, let our love be kind.

May our kindness be an expression of Your lovingkindness to us.

One day at a time

Have you asked yourself already today: "How can I love more today than yesterday?" If not, that's a good question. Ask yourself that now. Go ahead, I'll wait. Loving more today than yesterday, should be our goal everyday. One day, we might actually love more than we don't. One day, our thoughts may be purer, our motives more holy. One day, God might have a hold of our hearts, and "not we ourselves." One day, that's what we live for. One day...

Love & Justice

The Lord loves justice. Isaiah 61:8 says that.

God tells us to establish justice (Amos 5:15), to observe justice (Hosea 12:6).

Micah 6:8 is stronger, it asks, "What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?"

So, as long as we are loving, love what God loves. God loves justice. God wants to establish justice. He looks for justice. He requires us to act justly. As you love today, love what He loves. Inculcate that into your life and love.

Side Effects of Love

I am looking for side effects of loving today. In searching the Scripture, I find:

1. Others will know I am His disciple (John 13:35)

2. I will be obedient (John 14:23)

3. God will love me (John 14:23)

4. God will abide with me (John 14:23)

5. I will not be cursed (I Corinthians 16:22)

6. I will be doing right (James 2:8)

7. I will be made complete (I John 4:12)

I wonder what the side effects will be on others if I love. Perhaps, they will love. Perhaps, they will feel better. Maybe, their load will be lighter. They might be encouraged. I don't know if it will help them or not. I don't even know if it will help me or not. It might even make my life harder. But, I know one thing. I will have God with me in it (#3 and #4), and what could be better?

I can do nothing, or I can do something

In John 15:5 tells us "apart from Me you can do nothing." This is a sober reminder to free thinking Americans: we can do nothing. But, the key is APART FROM CHRIST. Jesus goes on to remind us in following verses: abide in Me (verse 7) and abide in My love (verse 9 and 10).

Because apart from Him, we can do nothing. I don't want to do nothing. I know Someone who can help me do somthing, IF I am in Him. Oh Lord, let me abide in You and not run ahead in my self desire or will.

You are Loved

Do you fully comprehend that God loves you?

Deuteronomy 23:5 - "...the Lord your God loves you."

John 16:27- "...the Father Himself loves you."

And the classic, John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son..."

Let those words wash over you today and help you come to a deeper understanding and appreciation of that truth. The more you comprehend that you are loved, you may be inspired enabled to love others. As I John 4:7 says, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." Know God. Know His love.

Know God and His love today, and will be made manifest in your life and love today.

A soul generated by love

My friend Julie, has this as her tag line on her email. It's a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Everyone can be great. Because anybody can serve...You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." That seems to sum it up. We need reminders from people like Julie and Martin Luther King, Jr. Today someone else may need a reminder from someone like you.

Today's challenge: Have a soul generated by love.

Responsible to Love

Oh Lord, my heart's cry is ~ I need You to love me in such a (mighty) way that I can love others rightly. O Lord, you call me to love, you equip me to love, you instill in me love. Help me to love - rightly, not my way, but Yours. As John quoted Jesus who said: "I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father..." (5:30 and 6:38). As you said, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." (John 7:24) Help us to not love according to appearance, but with righteous love. Mature our love that it may be mature and complete, lacking nothing (see James 1:4). Have your way with us, and help us be responsible human beings who love each other, for Your sake, for Your glory.

Compelled to Love

Is there something in you compelling you to love or withholding you from loving?

Philippians 2:13 says it is God in us who is working in us both to will and to do His good pleasure.

Ephesians 1:4 says He chose us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in Love.

God desires us to love. I Corinthians (12:31) teaches us to desire the greater gift. And I Corinthians 13:13 tells us love is the greatest.

Desire the greatest. Be compelled to love - today!

Commanded To Love

In John 15, Christ makes it clear: WE ARE COMMANDED TO LOVE.

Verse 12- "This is My commandment that you love one another." Then once again in verse 17 - "These things I COMMAND you, that you love one another."

But Christ did not leave us alone in this commandment. He did not leave us to our devices. He told us we could not do it alone. He said to abide in Him or we could do nothing (verse 5). He also sent us a "Helper" (verse 26) to help us in all in our ways. So, to fulfill this commandment, abide in Him and rely on the Helper, and go and love.

Looking for Love in all the wrong places

Matthew 5:46 says if you love those who love, "what reward do you have?" Because even the sinners do that. Perhaps we are not loving where He wants us to love.

I John 2:15 says don't love the world or worldly things. It expounds by saying if we do that, the love of God is not in us. If the love of God was in us, who would we love? How would we love? Then, we might not only love our brother and neighbor, but also those who do not love us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus even gives a blessing to those who withstood persecution and were reviled by others. Jesus certainly did that and He was most assuredly blessed. Look today to Him and where He wants you to love. It may not be where you want to love, it may involve more of you than you want to give. It may not be here and now. It may mean there and later. But, if the reward is from Him, look to Him who is the rewarder of all, and you will be blessed.

What's your problem? What's your purpose?

After a long exhausting day one time I proclaimed: The problem is people!

To which my wise husband retorted: The purpose is people!

When we begin to see people as the problem, we have lost our focus.

Our focus, our purpose each day should be for others, not our "To Do" list.

It's not our accomplishments that matter, it's their hearts.

If the purpose is people, then the greatest tool and gift we have is love.

The object of our love

The object(s) of our love, longings, desires - reveals our foolishness or wisdom; our wickedness or our uprightness.

Are we "looking for love in all the wrong places"? If we are, we will be defeated.

If we are not, we will be blessed.

Look for love - in the right places, at the right time, with the right heart!

Love reveals our desires

The Hebrew translations and interpretations of love indicate 3 things:



1. Desire

2. Attraction

3. Attachment



In pondering these indicators, it is good to ask: What do I do desire?

What am I attracted to? What do I feel attached to?



This will reveal a lot about who and what I love and what my focus or attitude is. Revealing can be good ~ when we learn and adjust to it.

Be a lover of good

Titus 1:8: "A lover of good"

I want to be a lover of good.

II Timothy 3:2 says people became lovers of self. This is so natural and so self defeating. If we default to this, we will collapse as a people.

If we become lovers of good, we will be uplifted as a person and as a culture.

Go out and look for the good - and love it!

Friends & Love

One of the translations for "love" in Hebrew is "friend" [aheb].

Abraham was referred to as God's friend (II Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; and James 2:23).

Proverbs 17:17 says a friend loves at all times. And later (18:24) it says, a friend sticks closer than a brother. Finally, Proverbs (27:10) exclaims: "Do not forsake your own friend."

James 4:4 explains "friendship with the world is enmity with God."

We can learn a lot about love through friendship:

1. Loving at all times
2. Loving is sticking together
3. Loving is not forsaking

To be liked or to love

I heard someone say they just wanted everybody to like them.

That's when it hit me, God didn't call me to be liked, He called me to love.

And, that's a lot easier! It frees me up to not worry about what you think of me as I pursue love. I don't have to be liked. I need to love!

Galatians 5:14 - THE ENTIRE LAW IS SUMMED UP IN A SINGLE COMMAND: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.

Live a Life of Love

The New International Version of the Bible interprets Ephesians 5, verses 1 and 2 as:

"Be imitators of God...and live a life of love..."

Ponder those big words. To imitate God, we are to live our lives in love, for love.

He demonstrated that. He gave His all for us. He called us to this. He even commanded it. It is for our good. It is for His glory. How can you not, this day, just attempt to do this in anyway you can. Imitate God - live a life of love.

Love & Live

Deuteronomy 30 holds some interesting perspectives on this:

verse 6 - The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts...so you may love Him with all your heart and soul and live.

verse 16- For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His commands...then you will live and increase, and the Lord will bless you...

Love and then live. It's really that simple. Put it in that order: love and live.

You can live, and not love. But can you love and not live? It seems love makes life more worth living.

I John 4:9 - This is how God showed His love to us: He sent His one and only son into the world that we might live through Him.

Love & Live - through Him.

Love & Pray

I love how Jesus links loving and praying together in His sermon on the mount: "But, I say, Love your enemy and pray for them." [Matthew 5:44] I think these two need to be interconnected. To love we need to pray. If we pray, surely we will be enabled to love.

Not only is this true for your friend, but even more so for your enemy. I don't know who your enemy is, but Jesus pushed us beyond loving our friends and neighbors to that barbaric desert place of loving, caring, and praying for those who are not.

If you need help to love, pray.

Renew Your Commitment to Love

Lamentations 3:23 says His compassions fail not and are new every morning.

Isaiah 40:31 says those who wait on God shall renew their strength...they shall not fail.

Psalm 51:10: "Renew a steadfast spirit within me."

If God's mercies are new everyday, can we not commit our love afresh every day?

Commit this day, to love anew, with a renewed sense of urgency and with compassion that fails not, by His means and grace.

Tests

There are lots of tests...

Psalm 26:2 - Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart & my mind

Deuteronomy 8:2 - to test you in order to know what was in your heart

II Corinthians 8:8 - to test the sincerity of your love

I Thessalonians 5:21 - test everything, hold on to the good

I John 4:1 - test the spirits to see whether they are from God

I've never liked tests. But it seems the Bible even tells us to ask God for testing. Testing reveals what's in us, what we have learned, or if we have learned. We should not be afraid of tests, but eager to learn from them. A new paradigm: We can learn from tests. Test me O Lord and show me my heart's end is to love You and others.

Searching & Pouring

"I will search for the one my heart loves." [Song of Solomon 3:2] Have you ever thought that your heart loves, you just need to find where it can show that love. Your heart longs to love, it's just where is it going to pour out that love.

Psalm 139:23 says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart." Lord, you know my heart. You made my heart. Pour in the love you have for me, and help me find where you want me to pour it out.

A Blanket of Love

Proverbs 10:12 teaches us that "love covers all wrongs." Hmmm, I'm suppose to let my love cover the wrongs. This doesn't mean I cover up wrong doings. The Hebrew idea here of covering is forgiving. I need to blanket what has been done wrong to me in love, and let love have it's way. I'm so glad love covers wrong, because there is a lot of wrong in me and the world. If love has it's way, it won't keep a record of wrongs (see I Corinthians 13:5) but it will be a wrong corrector (see Romans 8:28).

Oh love, cover me.

NOTICE

1 Corinthians 13:5 says, "love keeps no record of wrongs." So, if I'm not to keep a list of the wrongs done to me, what am I to do? Isn't this the way of the world? Yes.

The Living Bible version of 1 Corinthians 13:5 reads, "love hardly notices when others do it wrong." I have to keep reminding myself of this every time I notice others do me wrong. One day, I may not need reminding...until then, remind yourself.

Sincere Love

Romans 12:9, "Love must be sincere."

Love must...it insists on. Love must be sincere. It cannot be mixed with division or adulterated with lesser objects. In the Greek, sincere is without hypocrisy. And what is hypocrisy, but being what you are not. It was play acting to them. We can't play love, it must be from within us. It must be who we truly are. From the Latin, 'sin' denotes 'one' and 'crescere' carries the concept 'to grow.' How wonderful to see the root of one growing. That is what we want to do in love, become one as we grow in love. There is the idea of unity - all for one - sincere.

Sure, Pure Love

How can you love except you pray, "CREATE IN ME A PURE HEART, O GOD, AND RENEW A STEADFAST SPIRIT WITHIN ME." [Psalm 51:10]

David prayed this. We should pray this. In the Greek, "pure" is unmixed; and steadfast holds the idea of firm and enduring. This is a true picture of love. May our goal not only be loving ~ but also pure love, sure love - enduring, ongoing.

09-09-09 - Life is Repetitious, Love Repeats

As I see these numbers repeat themselves, I realize how love is often repetitious. You do it, and you do it again, and then again. Life is full of repetition. The things we do daily, we repeat tomorrow. Today, instead of the drudgery, see the beauty in the repetition.

'AS' is a big word

"This is my commandment, that you love one another AS I have loved you." John 15:12

My biggest concern is that small word 'AS'. That means I can't love as I want to love. I shouldn't love as they deserve. It says I must love others AS Christ has loved me. Now, that's a whole different thing. My love is measured to His love for me. I can't even comprehend His love for me. How He came down from heaven and loved and healed and taught others. He willingly went to be crucified for the love of His people. He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit when He wouldn't be here any more. He has gone to prepare a place for the people He loves to come and be with Him. How great a love is this? And this is how I am COMMANDED to love - AS He loved us.

Labor Day - Labor of Love

Is love work? Sometimes. And sometimes, it's rest.

You think of labor with delivering a baby. If only we saw our small labors of love as life giving. The next time you think of loving as hard, realize it's life giving qualities.

Work hard - give lots of love!

Being Christlike means I must love

At 86 years of age, in his final sermon, John Stott concluded: "Christlikeness is the will of God for the people of God." To support this he used Romans 8:29 that God predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son. And I John 2:6: "He who abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way as He walked." Also, Philippians 2:5, "have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ." And finally, Ephesians 5:2, "walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Being like Christ is abiding in Him. It is walking the way He walked, looking up to His Father the way He did. Being like Christ means I must love.

Pursue Love

I Corinthians 14:1 says "to pursue love." I start to ask myself, "how am I pursuing love?" I am trying to understand where I am looking for love, or perhaps even longing for love. Am I healthy in this? Am I looking for love in the right places? If you fail in that question, you should redirect your love to God intended places-in God like ways. If the Author of Love is God, it is He who we should be pursuing. And He tells us how to pursue Him (Love) - "seek Him first" [Matthew 6:33]. Am I seeking Him first and foremost? If not, I am failing in finding the greatest source and amount of love. Lord, don't let me fail.

Humility is a part of Love

I read about Lauren going to an orphanage in Africa and taking coloring sheets for the kids to color. They sang, "He's got the whole world in His hands." I thought about how she was loving those kids over there. I also thought of I Peter 5:6 that says, "Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God." Humility is part of loving. Humility is putting the other first. Humility is what drives people like Lauren to Africa to serve others. Humility is what says 'not me first, but you.' Humility is what we do when we recognize there is a Power and Source beyond us, and that we need it. Yes, we long for it. Humility says, 'I love you.'

As Jonathan Edwards said: "Humility promotes love."

Infectious Love

During this season of Flu and Colds, we begin to understand how easily germs spread.

If we're not careful, we might "pick up something."

Wouldn't it be great if love was in the air more than germs?

I heard Tertillian quoted during the Roman plagues that he wanted to "infect people with love". Picture your kind words and good deeds spreading through your home, your work place, your community. What could be better? Inoculate yourself against anything that might hamper your love: bitterness, anger, pride, anxiety.

Tolstoy proclaimed it too: "I have reached the conclusion that the only purpose in the life of every man is to strengthen love within himself, and by strengthening it within himself, to infect other people with it."

Seeking Perfection, is Seeking Him

Gray contends that perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:18), but that we don't always love perfectly. We love out of our fallen human nature that is spiked with selfishness and infiltrated with insecurities. So our love is not always expressed or received purely.

Checking the word origin here for perfect, you find the notion of maturity, completeness. It conjures up a bearing fruit concept. This is a better picture for us who want to live in the John 15 notion of abiding and bearing fruit.

We need to seek the One who is perfect and His perfect love, so we can share that and not our own. We want to overflow with His love, not our problems.

First Do Not Harm

The medical profession has a mantra: "First Do No Harm." This is to help them in their decisions in dealing with a patient. Perhaps, we should also ask this question before we "treat" others.

Romans 13:10 says "Love does no harm to a neighbor..."

I should consider not only my actions, but also my words and thoughts before I act. Because Jesus said if you have even thought these things you have done them in your heart. (See Matthew 5:28)

I don't want you to harm your neighbor - or yourself. God doesn't either.

What We Think Effects How We Love

To love right, we need to think right.

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." [Philippians 4:8]

Today: Think about loving!

What we love and how we love it

I went to the mecca of baseball today, Yankee Stadium.  America loves baseball.  They all come to celebrate, cheer, and watch it.  They devote their day to it.  They wear gear to show their allegiance to it.  How come it's O.K. to love sports, enthusiastically and not people  or God?  Perhaps, we put our love in places that are unworthy or self-serving.  O Lord, help us love YOU with all our heart and mind and strength and not other things, lesser things - even if they are good.  They are not You.  

Love Shows

In walking around the big city of New York as I passed by the LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana, I wondered how can you 'love en mass.' In this big impersonal city, how do I show love? How do I love these masses of people? I realized it must first be in my heart. If there is love in my heart, it will show in my eyes, and it just might be translated into words or actions. If my only words are "which way" it might show in how I listen or how I look at them or how I thank them. Loving en mass really does work if it's in your single heart. So, don't be discouraged. What's in there - will show.

Love is Bold

My friend says she fears because she loves.  I understand what she is saying.  You do not fear for those you don't know or care about.  You fear for those you love, because you love.  So, I go back to casting out fear.  Because I love, and because I fear, I must cast out those fears that creep into my life and relationship.  I must let love conquer those fears so it is love that is conveyed and not fear.  I must deny fears to become a part of my fabric.  I must let love's purity overcome any fears.  So I can love with boldness and not timidity or clouded with fear.

II Timothy 1:7 - For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline

Know Love, No Fear

I John 4:18 says perfect love casts out fear.

I have a friend who loves and who fears. She has a lot to fear: her husband lost his job. He's lost his identity and will to live. She loves God. She trusts God. But, she fears.

I understand. How can perfect love cast out fear?

I started picturing casting out fear. I discovered that casting out was also driving out, like the word they used in war with the enemy. That helped me understand more. It may be work, or even war to drive out fears. It also implies we may have them, we just need to throw (cast) them out.

So, in the name of love: Cast out fears!

Loving from Love

Yesterday was my birthday and I felt such love from those around me. It was like taking a love shower. I was showered with love, and it felt so good, and it hurt so bad! To feel the love of so many and to appreciate all the time we have spent with each other to feel this love, my heart began to break. I know this life does not last forever. I know I will leave these loved ones, or they will leave me. To know it's the truest thing I know, and yet it is fleeting, moves me to tears. The somberness is how hollow I will feel to not have them, or to know how they will feel when I am not here. But, this great expression of love makes my heart overflow, not only with tears, but with great joy - to love some more.

Can you think of anything more important?

How great a love

When Jesus prayed for His disciples (before His death), He asked for the love with which God had loved Him be in them/us (John 17:26). How great a love is that? Jesus asked the Father to bestow upon us the same love He had been given, the same love He had experienced. Can I ask it again, "How great a love is that?" I don't know if we can comprehend it. But, I do know we can see the effect of it lived out in the life and death of Jesus. Do people see a great love lived out in me? If you can just slightly comprehend the great love that is bestowed upon us ("For God so loved the world...John 3:16),we would have to be the most loving creatures. For once you have been loved, you are compelled to love.

Who are you loving?

Matthew 5:46 asks what reward will you get if you love those who love you.

Which begs the question: what reward are you seeking?

If you seek man's reward, it is short lived and fickle.

If you seek God's, it's eternal and sure.

Colossians 3:24 says you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Then, it goes on to say: It is the Lord Christ you are serving. [Implication: it is not man you are serving or seeking to serve.]

The Bible reminds us continually we will be rewarded according to what we have done (or my thought here ~ who we have loved). [Psalm 62:12; Matthew 16:27; Ephesians 6:8; and Revelation 22:12]

Matthew 6 teaches us God sees us in private and rewards us. Our reward is from God and not man.

Who are you serving?

How well are you loving?

The Presentness of Love

We live in the speed of life, which feels like the speed of light. It's sort of like the temperature with the humidity factored in, "feels like..." Life is going so fast I don't know how to assimilate all that is happening.

Ephesians 5:2 say to walk in love. I've been pondering "walking in love" and wondering what that looks like. I've visualized walking and I see out flowing of what comes naturally. I see people moving out from where they are: I see them in normal circumstances, i.e., where they are. Walking means usually not going far, but transversing where you are to somewhere a little further. It also tells me they are not running. I have to sometimes remember not to run, but to walk...especially in love!

The Debt of Love

Romans 13:8 says, "Owe no one anything except to love on another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."

With the rising national debt, I wonder has anyone considered paying the only debt we are permitted to have? We mount credit card debt, we overspend our time , we over eat our food, and we over commit our promises. But how do we extend ourselves in the currency of love? We hardly pull the love out of our pockets. We don't usually over extend in this area. Not only is this debt permissible, it fulfills the requirements of the law: the law to love.

How do you love when you're tired?

As I yawn and consider this, I hear: "Not by might, nor by power, but by Spirit." [Zech 4:6]

Isaiah 40 instructs us: "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak...(verse 29) But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint "(verse 31).

Jesus taught us: "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." [Matt 26:41 and Mk 14:38]

Do you recall the old children's song: "We are weak, but He is strong"? Did you know that was Scripture? [I Corinthians 4:10]

The letter to the Corinthians goes on to say, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness...for when I am weak, then I am strong." (II Corinthians 12:10)

It goes back to abiding and letting Him live through us - as we align ourselves with Him.

How do you love someone who has done you wrong?

We've all had it. One person does one thing, and we've had it. That's it! They don't deserve LOVE, they deserve a piece of our minds, and it's not a good piece! I was there yesterday and I thought, how do I love them. They don't deserve it, I don't have it. How does this work? Jesus even told us not only to love our neighbors, but He stretched us further by saying, "Love your enemies." [Matthew 4:44] How do I do that? He said "love your enemies AND pray for those who persecute you." So, I'll start my feeble attempt at love by praying for them, now, sincerely. Lord, help me...

How do you love when you don't "feel it"?

You love when you don't feel it, because you love out of obedience, not out of feelings. If you treated the people the way you felt, it wouldn't always be good. But, if you act out of love toward others because this is the right way to behave, because this is what God desires (even commands) our relationships as well as our hearts will be better. Do we act out of love or out of hormones, or feelings, or hunger, or tiredness, or irritation, or impulse? I know I have acted out of all of these. I also know which is better. Luke 6:32 says "if you love those who love you, what good is that? For even sinners do that." It's no good to act like everyone else. We are called to a higher standard, a holier ground of relating and thinking.

My Niece Reminds Me

We can only love by ABIDING in God. John 15 teaches us this. In verse 5 Jesus says, "apart from me you can do nothing." We can do (or have) no good thing without Him [I Samuel 12:21]. In the great analogy of the vine and the branches, we are told we are the branches and He is the vine. We have to stay in Him and His love (verse 9 and 10). He again commands us, in verse 12 and later in 17, to love each other. He even tells us how: AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. This is a tall order. This is a huge responsibility. He died on a cross in love for us. How am I going to die today to love others?

Are we liars?

I John 4:20 says, "If people say, 'I love God,' but hate their brothers or sisters, they are liars." God ties together loving Him to loving others. We can't do one without the other. It's a duo, a couplet. It's a complement. It's an outflow. I don't want to be a liar. But, I know at times my wagon is not harnessed to my horse: I run off without my wagon. I don't love, even though I "hitched" my wagon to the Lord. I run off without Him, or as the Bible says, I go astray. I am not loving to my neighbor. In doing that, I am making myself a liar. I am not doing what I say I am, a Christian, one who 'says' they love God.

Father of Love, Giver of Love, keep me from lying. Keep me from harming others, myself, and You. Please let me live with truth and in truth. Let the truth and reality of Your love live in me and flow outward to others.

"We must love each other"

1 John 3:11 says, "We must love each other." I think we have failed to hear this compulsion and we are paying the price to miss the "sell." It goes on to say we shouldn't be like Cain, who killed his brother. It expounds by explaining he killed him because what his brother did was good. Not only do we not love people because we are jealous, but we also go further and ignore them, criticize them, and yes, even murder them in our hearts. They are dead to us. Or, would it be more exacting to say we are dead to them. Something in us dies before that. Later in that chapter it tells us we have have left death and come into life - BECAUSE we love each other (verse 14). If we don't love, we are left in death. Rise to life today, Love! And give life to others as you pass love onto them.

I have been convicted

The other day as we thought of all the failed marriages around us, I became convicted of our responsibility to love. It is a huge responsibility to love other people, and God gave us this mandate: "This commandment I give you: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. As I have loved you, you must love one another." [ John 13:34] This was Jesus talking. The responsibility is even heavier, because He called us to love the way He had loved. We take our love responsibility too lightly. We don't understand how it feeds our soul, or how it affects others. By being responsible in our love relationships, we can extend hope and love to others.

I am starting this blog as a reminder to me of this huge responsibility and as an encouragement to you: LOVE responsibly.