It Starts Small

I have a deep sense of peace this morning. I shouldn’t. The darkness surrounding me is the darkest I’ve ever experienced. The wind outside is raging around me spiritually. Part of my journey this last year was learning to truly love. Love the very people who have hurt me and clubbed me with hate.

How do we learn to love? Love the people in our relationships? Love people who are our enemy? Love people who have hurt us? Love ourselves? One of my goals was to lear;how to love. A kind of love that was not selfish. To give love freely without expecting anything in return.

The mark of a spiritual person is not in their spiritual gift. It is in fruit of the Spirit.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love,… Galatians 5:22

Love is the greatest because all the other fruit of the Spirit come from love. When iniquity abounds, love waxes cold. A few versions of the Bible use the word “charity”. Charity is not contribution as we think in the English translation. It means love.

There is an excelling value to Love.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1

Love is more valuable than speaking. Speaking without love is nothing more than noise. It’s the static white noise or clinking or an out of tune instrument.

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, and have not charity, I am nothing. 1 John 13:2

Love is more valuable than prophesy and knowledge. You can know the Bible, but what good is it if you don’t have the right heart? Love is even more valuable to us than faith! If you can move mountains, but not malice, what good is faith?

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3

Love is more valuable than giving to the poor. You can give without love, but you can not love without giving. Love is the giving of yourself. Love is more valuable than being a marauder. You can give your life to your religion and know not love.

Real love is not giving people what they deserve, but what they need! the virtues of love are life changing for ourselves and our relationships. What do we gain when we have a true love?

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 1 Corinthians 13:4

Love Suffereth Long: gives us patience and is not blind. Love sees and forgives and endures. People don’t fall in and out of love. A real love endures for a lifetime. It gives patience and decides rather than choosing to give the other person what they deserve, it remembers God’s grace and mercy. God is patient with us. God does not give us what we deserve, instead he gives us what we need. This is our example and command.

Kind: reacting to people with love. We can measure love in ourselves by how we respond to others. There’s only two responses: love or hate.

Does not Envy: envy and love can not dwell together. Envy is a form of hate. Love and hate can not live in the same heart. If someone else is being blessed and you rejoice with them, you are giving love. If you cringe when someone else is being blessed or praised, you have no love in your heart.

30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones. Proverbs 14:30

Envy destroys our heart.

10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. Proverbs 13:10

Pride and love do not dwell in the same house together. There are no problems too big to solve, just people too small to solve them. Love enables us to be humble.

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 1 Corinthians 13:5

Courteous: love doesn’t do weird strange things. Manners are love in the little things. Love says please and thank you. Love says I’m sorry, please forgive me. Love says your forgiven and reconciles.

Unselfish: love does not seek its own. It doesn’t say I know my rights. I doesn’t say the law says I am allowed to do this or that. Love doesn’t seek to hurt and destroy. Love seeks to give, mend and repair. You can’t have that sort of love with a heart of revenge and hate.

Not Irritable: love is not easily provoked. Love does not fly off the handle. What spills out of your mouth is what you are full of.

Thinks no Evil: love does not keep a record of wrong doing. You know someone is full of hate when all they do is remind you of all your wrong doing. You know you’re not forgiven when someone constantly brings your wrong doing up and uses it to justify their actions and decisions. All that person does is become a collector of grudges. Love forgives and forgets.

Rejoices in Iniquity: love is sympathetic. Hate is the gossip you spread. Hate is glad to say bad things about other people. Hate enjoys watching a person suffer. Love offers encouragement. Love speaks truth with kindness and gentleness.

This is a daily prayer for me. Especially now! To remember I chose love. I choose Jesus! Only through Jesus can we experience the victories of love.

Love Conquers: love never fails. Love rejoices in truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. If you believe in a Jesus, put him on every morning, your love will never fail!

Love Completes: nothing done apart from love is successful. until you are full of the Spirit, it doesn’t matter how much human effort you put into anything, it will fail. It’s only through the love of God you have success.

Love Continues: one day, we will stand before Jesus and faith will turn to sight. Hope turns into reality and love will go on forever.

You’re never going to love until Jesus puts it in your heart. A Christian is someone who has genuine love for Jesus and all people! I am often astounded by fellow “Christian’s” who say they have people. Hate society. We can hate sin, but not the sinner. If you don’t genuinely love people, it’s time to see a Jesus about a heart check up. Anything other than love is hate.

We need to daily pray our hearts are splashing love all around and not clubbing others with hate.