Thursday, Dec 26

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV Study Bible) – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Message: The problems facing the church at Corinth are still familiar – instability, jealousy, envy, immorality, and the misuse of spiritual gifts. But while it emphasizes problems, 1st Corinthians contains some of the best-loved portions of the Bible, including Chapter 13, the great love chapter of the New Testament.

Paul tells us what love does, not what love is. He’s referring to an unselfish love for other people’s welfare, a concern that grows out of the desire to love, in obedience to God. He’s saying that because God is love and has commanded us to love one another, love supersedes all other spiritual gifts.

Many people misunderstand love. Love between a man and a woman isn’t comfort or convenience. It’s sharing a faith, not just a house. Love isn’t living with someone, but living for someone. It’s caring more for the joy, fulfillment and spiritual security of another person than for our own. Love is having a joint commitment to each other’s happiness.

God’s love is the answer to so many questions we all ask: How can I find meaning in my life? What am I here for? What will bring me happiness? What won’t? What is God’s plan for me, and how can I follow it?

Isn’t the solution to such questions simply this: you admit you can’t solve all your problems yourself; you open your heart and ask God to pour His love into it.

You ask Him to show you His will for your life, to walk with you day by day, and to help you be obedient. You trust Him completely. And then, in that trust, you let His love show in everything you do and say.

Prayer: Our Father, we know You love us and want only the best for us. Inspire us to go into the world where Your love is so desperately needed, and to touch other lives as You have touched ours. In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Charles Row