Intentional Love

“Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over other people’s sins, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance. Love will never come to an end.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

If we think of love as an intention, it is easy to see that we can show love toward our partner, our friend, even a stranger. We can send the love we have received from God toward another.

The Parachute

Charles Plum, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a jet fighter pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected & parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured & spent six years in a Communist prison.

Choosing Love

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there are no laws.” – Galatians 5:22

A wise friend told me to remember that “you will never meet someone Jesus doesn’t love”. Think about that. Take a look around you. Every person you meet, whether they are your best friend or the person who annoys you the most, Jesus loves them with the same incredible love with which he loves you. What does that say then for how we should treat each other?

The Secret

A woman named Frances once knew a young person at church named Debbie. Debbie always seemed effervescent and happy, although Frances knew she had faced struggles in her life. Her long-awaited marriage had quickly ended in divorce. She had struggled to get a grip on her single life. She hadn’t chosen it, but she decided she would live it with utmost enjoyment and satisfaction. Debbie was active in Sunday school, in the choir, as a leader of the junior high girls’ group, and in the church renewal movement. Frances enjoyed knowing Debbie. Debbie’s whole face seemed to smile and she always greeted Frances with a hug.

Love in Action

“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other, just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” – Colossians 3:12-17 (NLT)

Love is a verb. Love that is sustaining – deep love – is more than a feeling. Love is an action. Love doesn’t just “happen.” Love is chosen.

Side By Side

They lie on the table side by side,
The Holy Bible and the TV guide.

One is well worn and cherished with pride,
Not the Bible . . . but the TV guide.

Love Your Neighbor

“Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord’s royal command found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” – James 2:8 (NLT)

God’s call is clear to us to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves”. This doesn’t mean we will like everybody, it doesn’t mean we’ll all get along all the time. What it does mean is that as much as you want to matter to other people, they want to matter too.

Scars

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.

In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

What’s in Your Sponge?

There are 5 sponges laying on your kitchen counter top. Each member of your family has been cleaning up different areas of your home, but all the sponges look the same. You are curious as to what was cleaned in your home, but you can’t tell by looking…they all look the same….so what do you do?

The Way of Love

“For this is the original message we heard: We should love each other. . . This is how we have come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers: and not just be out for ourselves. If we see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; lets practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality.” – John 3:12, 16-18 (The Message)

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