Love // Our greatest Commandment

My blog is titled after 1 Corinthians 13. I am not too ashamed or proud to admit though that when I first created my blog and named it that, I knew far less about real love and understood far less about real love than I do now. I'm not embarrassed to state this, but rather thankful for the gift of love that The Holy Spirit has since instilled in me. I'm thankful for the growing ability to love. I look back at how much less I used to love and cannot help the well of tears in my eyes at how amazing His grace is. His grace truly is ever so abundant and He is the God of new beginnings and second chances. It's never too late to ask Him to help us better love as He loves.

But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. (I Corinthians 12:31 NKJV)

What is the best gift? What is the more excellent way?

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (I Corinthians 13:1-13 NKJV)

I was reading one of the current devotional plans I'm doing on YouVersion a couple days ago, Joyce Meyer's New Day New You. That particular day was discussing how all of us as followers of Christ, main priority should be love. If our main priority is not love, we're not going to get everything else right. When you truly stop and love people, or rather, stop and truly love people, suddenly a lot of your other flaws start becoming less noticeable or perhaps more forgiveable. It's easy to forgive a loving person, someone who you know really does love you. 

What would things look like in our lives if we truly loved people and not just put on a persona of loving people? If we never delve in deep in our love for people, but rather remain superficial, how's that really love?

Love is love. Love is what 1 Corinthians 13 describes. That is not how most of us act towards the majority of people in our lives. My Mam-ma used to always tell me, it's easy to love the lovely, but it's not so easy to love the unlovely. I understood this example then and knew what she meant, but honestly just didn't want to love some people. I loved loving the lovely to me people, even if they weren't lovely to others, but those people who were unlovely to me, I just sometimes felt as if I almost couldn't bring myself to sincerely love them.

For example... It's easy to drop in and bring a treat to or do something nice for someone you like or perhaps even your family, but it's not quite as easy to do that for someone you don't like or perhaps the odd ball in the family.

But see... That's not really love. If we only love and do nice things for those who are like minded as us or those we like, we don't really know how to love, do we?

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you" (JOHN 13:34 NKJV)

Joyce Meyer candidly points out that we can't love God, but hate other people. 1 John 4:20 This is such an excellent reminder. We want to be like Jesus, we want to love. Well, we can't have it our way. We have to really love the way He loved. The way He showed love to Mary Magdalene, despite her sins. The way He showed love to Peter, despite knowing he would deny Him. The way He showed love to Judas, knowing all the while that he would BETRAY Him.

We are all no better than those first three examples that came to my mind. We were all scarlet before He made us white as snow. We all were as filthy rags, before He made us a new creation. None of us are righteous and are all deserving of an eternity in hell. 

There's good news though... He came to save us and paid our ransom! Death has lost its sting and hell has no victory! (1 Thessalonians) If we really understand this sacrifice, this love, then why not start by showing others our own love?

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love. (I Corinthians 16:13-14 NKJV)

This is a song called, Forever and A Day, by Bethel, that I LOVE! 

I was afraid, Your love set me free.
I was in debt, You paid the price for me.
I was hurt, You took away my pain.
I was alone until You called my name. 
I was broken and You mended me. 
Before I was, You loved me.
You healed my body and You made me whole.
No matter what I do, You don't let go. 

I will sing to the King, I am the ransomed one.
How I love Your holy name!
Holy to the Lamb who was slain!
When I laugh and when I cry,
You are the reason why!
How I long to be with you, forever and a day!

-Bethel